A Girl Named Hermione Granger: Year Three
by blu-babe
Summary: Hermione Granger has her work cut out for her in her upcoming third year. She has more secrets that she must keep, more classes she must pass, and a game of cat-and-mouse that seems out to alienate her from her friends. How will she keep it together?
1. Little Girls Need Their Fathers

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter One: Little Girls Need Their Fathers, Even When They Aren't Little

Disclaimer: I don't own the plot from Prisoner of Azkaban, however you'll find my twists laid within this story well.

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><p>Severus Snape sat in his study, a glass of firewhiskey in one hand, a letter in the other. Light flickered from the fireplace behind him, and he set his glass down with a soft thud. He stood from his chair abruptly and paced the length of the room, the letter still clasped in his hand. The old grandfather clock in the corner of his study chimed, telling him that it was now midnight. He continued pacing, undaunted by the late hour, occasionally stopping to re-read the letter. When he had first received it, he'd thought it to merely be a joke.<p>

Surely Dumbledore was kidding, saying that Hermione had been approved. No one person could attend all those classes; it was physically impossible. He had flooed the Headmasters' office immediately, and since then, he'd been pacing. Four hours he'd been pacing. Was his daughter responsible enough? Twelve classes in a single year; could she handle it?

He made his way to his currently cluttered desk and set down the letter. It was late; he'd deal with it in the morning. He quickly drained his glass of firewhiskey and left his study. From the bottom of the stair well, he could hear the giggling voices of Hermione, Julie, and to the former's displeasure, Sarah. He made his way past the closed door of his daughter's bedroom which had, once upon a time, been his own. As the last year had ended, and he'd spent days watching over Hermione's petrified body, he had decided to find a way to make up for the disastrous turn the school year had taken on. He'd recruited Julie and Narcissa, and given the latter the charm that would be needed to open the dusty old room.

He slipped into his bedroom quietly and flicked on his light. He recalled the look of surprise on Hermione's face when she had laid eyes on the overly pink room. He remembered thinking that it had perhaps been a mistake to allow Narcissa to help, but he'd been unable to refuse his old friend. The Malfoy Matriarch had always longed for a daughter, and was very near smothering his own. He shrugged off his robes and lay on his large bed.

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><p>Hermione sat on her bed, hugging a fluffy body pillow to her chest, "So...how've you been, Sarah?" She asked indifferently, her eyes following her now sixteen year old sister about her room. When Julie had suggested a sleep over, she had jumped at the chance to catch up, only to be forced into inviting Sarah as well. She had never gotten along with her blonde sister, because the girl never seemed interested in anything other than boys and make up. "Oh just fine, I settled into my new school, and I've already dated half the football team." The blonde girl plucked a book off the large bookshelf beside her younger sister's dresser. "<em>Voyages with vampires<em>?" She read the title aloud.

Julie was situated in a rather comfy bean bag chair beside Hermione's bed, _Magical drafts and potions_ propped open on her crossed legs. "It's rubbish." She stated plainly, flipping the page in her book. "It makes good fiction though." She added as an afterthought, allowing her eyes to flicker up to the bored blonde. "I don't see what makes you so special that you get a fancy room, a rich bilogicle father, and a flying broom." Sarah snapped suddenly, tossing the book in her hands to the floor, and casting a suspicious glare at the sleek broom, in the corner behind the door.

Hermione scoffed, "Sarah, the word is '_biological_', and sod off. It's not like I was chosen at random. And _he's_ not rich. My _biological_ mother was." The young brunette had, quite possibly, never been happier to know that she was not, in fact, related to the ditzy blonde teenager. "Stop fighting you two or I'll put on the _song_." Julie accentuated her threat by reaching for the small stereo beside her. She learned several years ago, that if she wanted to have the other two in the same room without fighting, she needed to be prepared with the one thing that neither girl could stand.

Hermione and Sarah immediately stopped glaring at each other, and gave the stereo a horrified glance. "Ok, you win Julie." Sarah said finally, throwing her hands up in defeat. The eldest of the three smirked and folded over the corner of the page she was reading before closing the book with a snap. "So, Hermione, dearest little sister..." Her voice crackled with mischief and the twelve-year-old shifted away slightly, "My darling, wonderful, innocent little sister." Julie continued on, placing the book on the floor, "Was it my imagination, yesterday afternoon, or were you blushing your little face off when we left the train station?" She knew very well that it had not been her imagination, as she had teased the younger girl relentlessly, but she hadn't managed to pry the reason out of the young witch.

Sarah gasped dramatically and threw herself on the bed, trapping the twelve year old between the head board and the wall, "Oh! Blushing were you? Who'd you kiss?" She squealed, making Hermione flinch, and Julie smirk. This was exactly why the blonde had been invited. "N-no one! We didn't kiss!" Hermione stuttered, blushing as she tried to sink back into the wall. Julie stood from her bean bag chair and crawled onto the bed herself, "Well then, who did you almost kiss?" She demanded.

Hermione licked her lips and ducked behind her pillow, "We didn't kiss! We were goofing around and fell over, but nothing happened!" She said quickly, her words muffled by her pillow. Julie slung her arm around the girls shoulder at the same time as Sarah, and the young witch found herself pinned between her sisters, "So you won't tell us who?" Julie asked, feigning a sigh as Hermione shook her head rapidly.

Sarah grinned at her older sister and held up a finger as an idea struck her. "How many boys were around you when you were at the station?" Hermione stiffened in their arms, and sincerely hoped that Julie hadn't noticed Draco behind her. Julie bit her lip in thought, "Well, the only one I know of that was clearly from Hogwarts, was that Slytherin boy, you remember the blonde boy Severus brought by for Christmas?" Hermione groaned and tried to dive out of the clutches of her sisters, but was restrained as Sarah began rambling on about how adorable it was that Hermione had finally realized boys were fun, in more ways than one.

"I've never, and will never, kiss Draco!" Hermione hissed, finally succeeding in escaping their clutches, so she was standing in the middle of her room, chest heaving, and her face almost blending in with the pink walls of her room. "Of course dear, of course." Julie said slyly, slipping back into her bean bag chair.

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><p>Hermione sat in the living room of her sister's apartment, flipping through the channels in boredom. Her sister had taken her for the weekend, after her father had been called to attend a party being held at Malfoy Manor. She wished she could have gone, to see Draco, but she hadn't even bothered to ask, knowing the answer would be no. It was just as well, she thought dejectedly, that Lucius Malfoy didn't know her relation to Snape, as she doubted she'd have been able to face the blonde boy without going bright red and remembering the confusing feelings from their last conversation in the great hall.<p>

She turned the tv off and picked up her sisters phone, and dialed quickly. She pressed the receiver to her ear and waited for someone to answer on the other end. "Hello, Dursley residence." The high, grating voice of Harry's aunt made her pull the phone away from her ear, "Hello, I'm calling for Harry in regards to a dental appointment he's made." She had received word from Ron, that the Dursley's had caught on to the fact Harry had given their phone number to them, so she had come up with a reasonable lie before calling.

Petunia's voice shrieked in her ear that she was not going to pay for his dental work, and Hermione sighed under her breath. "It's just for a free checkup. Our office has been promoting itself on the streets, and he signed up for a free checkup. Is he there?" She was met with the dial tone, signaling that the irritating woman had hung up. She placed the phone back on the hook and rolled off the couch. "Julie!" She called out, making her way into the kitchen, where her sister had set up a miniature potions lab. As it turned out, muggles could brew potions too.

"Yeah?" Julie replied without looking away from her cauldron, stirring carefully as she added some dead lacewing flies. "Can I go out?" Hermione asked, leaning up against the counter beside her sister, watching with interest. "Is that a sleeping draught?" She asked, taking in the light blue tint of the potion. "Yeah, it is. Dad hasn't been sleeping well, so I thought I'd try my hand at brewing a solution. Severus promised to double check it when he comes to pick you up." She withdrew her wooden spoon and set it on the counter, "There. Now it has to sit for an hour." She turned to face the younger brunette and grinned.

"You're going to be thirteen this year, right?" The question was rhetorical, Hermione knew, but it made her uneasy as she nodded and was then dragged down the hall to the washroom by her sister.

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><p>Severus Snape was standing in front of a row of books in the library at Malfoy Manor after dismissing himself from the parlor. It seemed Lucius had spread word among the many pureblood families that his and Kathrine's daughter had died, and he had grown tired of snide slurs against his own blood impurity. Several of the women invited to the gathering that evening had declared that the death of his daughter was payment for his own mother's sins. He plucked a particularly old book off of a higher up shelf and settled himself by the fire place, counting down in his head until he would be able to leave the blasted place all together.<p>

His head snapped up as he heard the door open, and was relieved to find that it was Draco who had found him, not one of the blithering twits. "Good evening Draco." He greeted his godson, turning his gaze back to the book in his hands. "Good evening uncle." The boy echoed, taking another empty seat by the fire place. "What is it you wish to ask?" Severus asked calmly, feeling the curiosity radiating from his godson. "Why do they all think He-" "Not here, Draco." He cut the boy off quickly, dismissing the topic. It was certainly not a good place to mention Hermione's name. "Can I come visit for a week?" Draco asked, catching onto the change in his godfather's demeanor.

Severus set the book down with a sigh and looked over his godson. The boy was now thirteen, and he could tell that despite any efforts to hide the change, his voice was beginning to change. He weighed the pros and cons of the situation, allowing a young boy entering puberty to stay over for a week, when his daughter would be there. Granted, he would _not_ leave them in the house alone. "No funny business." He declared, leaning back, smirking at the pink that spread across the boy's face.

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><p>Hermione had her headphones in, and was humming aloud to her music as she lay on her sister's couch, her head hanging off the end so that everything seemed to be upside down. She watched her sister walk over to the door, and pulled out an ear bud as the door opened to reveal a very enthusiastic Jane Granger. "I have wonderful news!" She swept into the room, her long blonde hair twirling around her and she dropped several large bags on the couch where Hermione was sitting. "We're going to France! In three days! I brought by some clothes for Hermione, I figured she would be needing them!"<p>

The twelve year old opened the bag cautiously and went bright red as she pulled out a training bra, this was _almost_ as embarrassing as the lecture she'd gotten from Julie earlier. "Mom!" She tossed the pretty pink bra back into the bag and shoved the offending item off the couch, where it spilled its entire contents onto the living room floor. Julie turned and strode back into the kitchen, calling over her shoulder to the young girl, "Don't forget, your dad's coming by in a bit to pick you up."

Jane giggled as the young witch dove off the couch and frantically tried to stuff the various training bras back into the bag. Hermione just barely managed to put everything back into the bag when another knock sounded at the door. She jumped so violently at the intruding sound that she knocked over one of the other bags of clothing her mother had brought. Jane was still laughing as she opened the door and came face to face with a black robed figure.

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><p>Severus did not expect, when he brought Draco to his home, to drop off the boy's bag before picking up his daughter, to find Julie's car parked outside of his front door. He rushed to the car, which looked as though it had been smashed around, and saw Hermione huddled in the back seat with Julie and Jane, all three with minor injuries. He wrenched open the car door and was tackled by his daughter. "What in Merlin's name happened?" He demanded, taking in the extent of the wounds on the twelve-year-old.<p>

Julie slid cautiously out of the car next and helped her mother out, "I don't think we should stay out here." She said grimly, wrapping her mother's arm around her shoulder so she could support the shaking woman. Severus led them into the house quickly, and gently pushed his shaking daughter to the couch where Draco was sitting. She immediately latched onto the boys arm. "Now tell me, what happened?"

"A man showed up at my apartment," Julie said quietly, setting Jane into a chair across from the couch, "Mom answered the door, thinking it was you, coming to get Hermione, and I saw this cloaked man advance on her." She sat herself on the arm rest of the chair, "He said something funny and she's been out of it ever since. I acted quickly and threw the cauldron full of the sleeping draught I was making at him." Hermione closed her eyes tightly, and shuddered. This was the second time they had been attacked in what should have been a safe location.

Severus cleared his throat, feeling his mouth go dry. "It knocked him out long enough for us to get to the car, but then he was up, shouting a number of different things at my car, we bumped into a lot of traffic getting here, but for the most part I think we're okay." Severus pulled out his wand, "Did either of you hear the spell he used on Jane?" "_Confundus_." Hermione responded, and her father nodded. He flicked his wand and Jane began looking around in confusion. "I don't suppose you saw the face of the attacker?" "No," Julie said after a moment, recalling the skeletal mask.

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><p>Severus stood in the hall, facing the door to his daughter's room. Julie stood at his shoulder, gripping the sleeve of his worn out pajama t-shirt. "Do you think she'll be awake yet?" He asked softly, turning his head enough to see Julie nod. "Yeah. She's not usually one to sleep in, you know?" He nodded in response, and carefully knocked on the door, just enough to be heard, but to not wake up Draco in the next room over.<p>

Hermione's voice floated through the door, granting him entrance, and he opened the door gently. "Maybe you should talk to her alone. I'll go make breakfast and wake up Jane." Julie left before he could protest, and he stepped into his daughter's far-too-bright room alone. Hermione was sitting cross legged on her bed, running a brush through her hair absent mindedly. He, with no small amount of awkwardness, took a seat beside her on her bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, taking in her disheveled and sleepless appearance. "I'm fine, dad." She replied, staring at the wall blankly. In truth, she was feeling just dreadful. She was the brightest witch in her year, but when it came down to a dangerous situation, she buckled under the pressure. She reminded herself she was only twelve, and therefore allowed to be afraid, but her mind repeatedly reminded her that Harry had faced, fought, and defeated Voldemort twice since entering school. Even Ron had rushed head-long into the danger without a doubt. She sighed heavily and let her head fall onto her father's shoulder.

"I know better than to believe that, Hermione. Lily always used to say that, when things were at their worst." He said softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder comfortingly, "Lily?" She asked, looking up to see her father's face. "An old friend, she passed away many years ago. Don't change the subject; tell me what's bothering you." His eyes flickered with an old pain, and she turned her gaze back to the wall opposite her bed.

"I feel like I failed." She said after a moment of silence, shifting her head into a more comfortable position. "That's twice now. A dark wizard coming after me, and I do nothing to help. I'm a coward." She fought the frustrated tears that wanted to fall, and Severus reached over to comb his free hand through her hair. "You are not a coward. You are twelve, and far braver than most." He reassured her, placing a kiss on the top of her head before continuing. "And you did help, in the park. You distracted Lucius by throwing the rock. And if you hadn't been there to hear the spell used on Jane, I'd have had to take her to St. Mungo's. It could have taken weeks to figure it out otherwise."

She sighed again and turned to bury her face into his shirt, breathing in the slight smell of cinnamon and smoke. "But I'm rubbish for re-" "You are not rubbish for anything." He cut her off, turning slightly so he could wrap his other arm around her as well. She tentatively clutched his shirt, "I need to be better. I'm a Gryffindor. I should be able to protect everyone." Her words were muffled, but they made her father chuckle. "You are also Slytherin, at heart. You are cunning and you think things through before acting. Gryffindor's tend to be foolish and rush without tactics or plans. As you get older you'll find a way to blend the two perfectly to your needs." He pulled back and set his hands upon her shoulders so she was facing him. "You have time, lots more time then I had at your age."

She offered him a weak smile, "Thanks dad." "And you're a know-it-all. _My_ know-it-all." A playful smirk danced on his face and she laughed, feeling less melancholy then she had before. "It's time for breakfast now." He stood and offered her his hand, "Okay, I'll be down in a minute." She let him pull her to her feet, but as soon as he left her room, closing the door behind him, she fell back on her bed and frowned. She had never seen her father so open. The smell of cinnamon and smoke lingered in her room as she dressed for breakfast, and she thought it rather suited her father. It was dark and light and spicy, but almost subtle. Just like him.

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><p>End chapter one!<p>

I know I said this would be out days ago, but I wanted to wait until I was at least writing the very last part of Year Three before posting it. Also you'll notice improved grammar in this story, because I've got Word on my computer now and it is very bossy about comma's and semi-colons.


	2. Is That What They Call It?

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Two: Is _that_ what they call it?

Disclaimer: don't own it.

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><p>"C'mon. Focus or you're going to fall." Draco's irritated voice broke Hermione from her vacant thoughts, and she looked down at her broom. "Right, sorry." She gripped the handle and pushed off from the ground. He tossed her a tennis ball, and she caught it without any trouble. She threw it back, and he congratulated her on not falling. She tried to remember how events had led up to this, playing catch on brooms in the back yard of her father's house. She knew she had spent two days in bed, occasionally being visited by a disgruntled Slytherin boy saying something about not needing to see something or other, and his discovering the new broom sitting unused behind her door.<p>

Ah that was right, she finally recalled the conversation that led to him demanding she learn to play Quidditch, although the actual words escaped her. She rolled around so she hung from her broom like a bat, and crossed her arms behind her head as the blonde boy asked if she was okay. "I'm fine. I like being upside down. Helps me-" Her eyes had been wandering listlessly over the house, until they came upon the window of her father's study. Her eyes locked onto the two figures inside and she slipped off her broom in shock. She barely noticed Draco land next to her crumpled form, scolding her for being an idiot, as she blinked stupidly up at the window she had been looking through. She _had_ to have been imagining that.

She tried to get to her feet but fell into Draco's arms as she realized her ankle hurt. She looked down and found her foot at a funny angle. Ah, _that_ would be why she couldn't stand. "Oh darn. I think it's broken." She allowed him to pick her up, not hearing his complaint about how heavy she was, and carry her into the kitchen, where her father and Julie were standing in the door way, equally worried. She watched her father draw his wand and suddenly everything came rushing to her at once. "Wait!" She cried, before he could heal the break, "I'd rather get a cast." She said quickly, colour draining from her face as she finally began to feel the pain in her foot.

Severus looked at his daughter, confused, but put away his wand when he felt Julie's hand come to rest on his shoulder. He didn't pretend to understand the reasoning of his dazed daughter, but scooped her into his arms, "Go start the car." He said softly to the older brunette, who left the room quickly. "What happened?" He turned his gaze to Draco, who shrugged meekly, "We were out back on our brooms, and suddenly she's decided she wants to hang upside down. Before I can even blink, she's slipped off the broom and crumbled on the lawn." The blonde boy had a very vague idea what had caused the girl to slip when she had seemed to be in control of the situation moments before.

The car ride was quiet, and the air between the four of them was tense. Julie drove to London, nodding automatically as Severus directed her where to turn. He'd insisted they take Hermione to St. Mungo's, the magical hospital. Draco and Hermione watched from the back seat as the dark haired potions master allowed his eyes to flick over to the driver, every few minutes. The twelve year old brunette in the back seat replayed what she'd seen in her mind. Her father and Julie had been sitting side by side on his desk (an image that seemed imaginary even without the event that followed, as her father always seemed too severe to sit upon any desk,) his arm around her waist. She remembered the shock on her sisters face as their lips touched. Her foot throbbed painfully, reminding her of her current predicament.

The medi-witch at St Mungo's tried very hard to convince the young witch that it would be fine to heal her broken foot magically, but Hermione stubbornly demanded a cast. She felt if you didn't have to live with the consequences of actions and mistakes, you don't learn to be careful.

Severus sighed agitatedly, rubbing his closed eyes with his hand. He'd had to fill out two sets of the forms provided by the hospital, and threaten the medi-witch behind the counter to create two files for Hermione, one for private records, and one to be used should she ever return without himself. It had been a nightmare.

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><p>Hermione woke up the next day, to a dreary grey sky, and a soft rapping at her bedroom door. "Come in'" She called out sleepily, pushing herself into a sitting position, and trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. The door opened softly, and Julie stepped in with two cups of coffee. "Hey kiddo. How's the foot?" Hermione shook her head and accepted the offered coffee, "Well, the pain killers wore off. I'll have to ask dad to help me brew a potion for it. How're you?"<p>

Julie sat on the bean bag chair, which now sat at the end of her bed, and looked around nervously. "So...er...I got to talk to you about something." The twelve year old gave her sister an appraising look and hid her smile behind her coffee mug. She'd spent most of the night thinking about the day before, "Oh?" The older brunette focused her attention on the wall behind Hermione and bit her lip. "I-like-your-dad." She said in a rush of air, speaking so fast that Hermione almost didn't catch on. When she did, however, she couldn't help the smile that spread over her face.

"Well that's good. I think he kind of fancies you." She said, pretending to be exasperated, but unable to keep her smile from turning into a tiny smirk, "It's a good thing you're so old too, otherwise, it'd be creepy!" She burst into giggles at the end, and Julie, whom had been worried, let out an indignant shriek and threw a slipper at her little sister. Hermione caught the offending slipper and stuck her tongue out at Julie, "What'd you think, I was going to be mad or something?" Julie blushed slightly, "No! I knew better, but -er- Severus thought you might be. We kind of fought about it yesterday."

Hermione let out a soft laugh, "No need to worry on my account. Just maybe no snogging in front of me." Next thing she knew, she was flat on her back, and Julie was hovering over her, tickling her mercilessly. "No...haha...cut it...out!" She gasped between giggles, trying to push away her older sister half-heartedly.

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><p>Draco was above all else, Slytherin, and so he found himself listening to the conversation in the room beside his own, temporary room. He listened to Julie and Hermione, and the wheels in his head began to turn, processing the idea. His godfather, who was, very nearly, ostracized himself for being a half blood, was fraternizing with a muggle. Everything his father had spent the last thirteen years pounding into his head, said he should either cut their ties and run, or report him to his father. But he didn't want to do either. He was far fonder of his godfather than he was of his actual father. And Julie was an alright sort. She was the only muggle he'd ever heard of that could brew potions.<p>

Not to mention he thought it was time for his godfather to think about making his family bigger. Kathrine had died ages ago, and his mother had always mentioned how Severus hadn't been the same since. He lay there, waiting, as he heard the unmistakable sound of Hermione and Julie going down the stairs, until the soft thump of the crutches faded away. He rose slowly from his bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He obviously couldn't rat his godfather out. And he wasn't about to live a life without him either. He'd keep this secret, and try to divert his father from finding out. Because if it was out _whom_ the muggle was, she and Hermione would be in more danger than they already were.

There was a single, sharp, knock on his door before it swung open to reveal Severus, looking severe. The man could tell from his first glance at the blonde boy that he'd overheard Julie and Hermione. He watched the boy look up, remaining impassive.

Draco met his godfather's eyes, and couldn't help but to smirk at the guarded expression in them. Neither moved for a moment, sizing the other up, before the teenager shrugged, and raised an eyebrow at the dark haired man. "What?" He smirked as the older man rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Slinking around, snooping are we?" Severus said finally, and the boy chuckled. "I was in here well before they started talking. They weren't being very careful." "Did they need to be?" Draco wasn't particularly surprised as he picked up on the threat lacing the question, "Not in your house." He replied, pushing past his godfather with a chuckle.

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><p>"I insist!" Jane said kindly, but in a tone that left no room for debate. "David insists. We owe you so much for everything you've done." She held out two extra plane tickets, as Severus made a pot of tea in the kitchen. It was quite late in the evening, and he'd been rather surprised when Julie returned from Winchester with Jane by her side. "Come on Severus, we could use the protection of a full grown wizard while we're in Paris." Julie pulled down three cups from the cupboard beside him, and he let out an inaudible sigh.<p>

He supposed that she was probably right. There was no shortage of danger for them in France, from both the wizarding community and the muggle one. He poured the tea, remaining silent, carefully thinking out his response. One and a half weeks in France. Ten days, nine nights, and he could even bring Draco; should Lucius and Narcissa allow it. "I'll speak with Draco's mother in the morning." Beside him, Julie grinned and picked up two of the tea cups, bringing one to Jane.

As he, too, took a seat, he wondered how exactly he had fallen into this routine so easily. He was growing used to the constant presence of his daughter, and the increasing presence of Julie. And he was even starting to feel protective enough of them to follow them to France. He had felt nothing for so long, so many years, that he was beginning to feel trapped; but he liked it at the same time. Jane pushed the tickets across the table looking victorious, "Excellent. I hope you'll both be joining us. The flight is tomorrow night." He picked up the tickets and flipped one open.

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><p>Severus stood at the door to Malfoy Manor bright and early the next morning, with a rather sleepy Draco at his side. The door was opened by a tiny house elf, "Master Draco!" It squeaked, it vanished with a crack and by the time they had stepped inside, Lucius and Narcissa were hurrying their way. "What's wrong? Has something happened?" Narcissa asked wildly, rushing to her son's side, checking him for injuries. Severus smirked, watching the boy's face turn red with the attention.<p>

"Relax, Narcissa. Nothing bad has happened." The woman backed away from her son, and Lucius sent him a slightly cautious look. "But something has happened?" He asked, and Severus shook his head. "The Headmaster has requested of me to attend to some business in France, I would like to bring Draco with me to take in the culture." He carefully aligned his words, if he wished to convince Lucius he was going to have to play on his pride. "When do you leave?" Narcissa asked nervously, though she refrained from fidgeting. "Tonight; I will be there for ten days." "Well...what's the harm, I suppose." Narcissa said after a moment, "He'll be with you." Lucius gave the potions master a slightly suspicious look over, but said nothing.

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><p>Hermione had a large suitcase open on her bed, she had just packed the new clothes her mother and Julie had bought to replace the ones that had been left in Julie's demolished apartment. She turned to face her dresser, which was sadly quite bare aside from her school clothes. She had outgrown most of her clothes since leaving for Hogwarts.<p>

"Julie!" She shouted towards the hallway, receiving an answering shout of, "Yeah?" "I have no muggle clothes!" She turned to look in the hall and her older sister stepped out of the bathroom, wearing her father's pajama shirt. It looked rather silly on her, Hermione decided; it made Julie seem very short. "You have some." Julie said, pulling open the closet in her room, to reveal the selection of Sarah's old clothes that had been brought as a peace offering by the blonde girl. Hermione scrunched her face and made a fake gagging sound, "Ew. No, I can't wear those! Look how short they all are! Even if I wanted to, dad would never allow me."

Julie laughed and pulled out a few of the dresses, "Maybe they're short on _her_, but you're not as tall as she is. Just pick a couple; we'll go shopping in Paris. Now finish packing." The older brunette swept out of the room, and Hermione sighed. She supposed she could make do. She set aside a nice dark brown dress and packed a few others.

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><p>Hermione sat at a small French cafe with Julie, Jane and Sarah, the day before they were due to fly back to England. She listened to the conversation between her mother and her sisters without interest until her father's name was mentioned. "You and Severus seem close." Hermione's eyes zeroed in on Jane, who looked happier than she had since the attack. "Oh, we just spend a lot of time together. He's teaching me to brew potions." Julie stuttered slightly at first, and the younger brunette giggled quite suddenly. All eyes turned to her, and she tried to stifle the noise. "Is that what it's called?" She asked another snort of laughter escaping as she tried to drink her coffee.<p>

Julie's face went bright red, causing Jane and Sarah to join the youngest girl in her laughter. "Oh shush! You're in no position to point fingers, Hermione." Julie scolded suddenly, shifting the focus of the laughter to the younger girl, who was now bright red. "Nothing's happened!" Hermione cried valiantly, accidentally knocking over her coffee, spilling it onto the white dress she had chosen to wear that day.

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><p>Hermione hobbled towards her hotel room and found both David and her father scolding Draco in the hall, though they stopped as soon as they saw her. She coughed awkwardly and informed them that she needed to get changed. They made enough room for her to get through; she hobbled into her room and changed out of her stained dress. "That's karma, I guess." She sighed, tossing the ruined dress into her suitcase. When turned to leave her room, she heard voices sift back through the door.<p>

"-I don't care about the house rivalries, or whatever. I want Hermione away from that boy at school, if that's who he wants." David's voice was hushed and angry, and made her pause in the motions of reaching for the door handle. "David, it's not that simple. Don't be unreasonable. There's no proof that Black is even after Potter. As well, Hermione's been labeled a muggleborn witch already." Her father's tone was icy, and reminded her of the darker side Harry and Ron could never look past. "If we switch her houses now, if that were even possible, it would get out in society that I've been hiding my child. Then there would be _marked_ attacks, by people who know their target." She could practically feel the rage floating around both adults through the door.

"Look, uncle, Mr. Granger, this isn't the place to be discussing this. Hermione's just on the other side of the door, you realize." She sighed and tried to move away from the door quietly, but it swung open to reveal two angry adults and a very smug Draco. "Told you." She rolled her eyes, and now it was David's turn to sigh. "Eavesdropping isn't right Hermione." "Neither is talking about someone behind their backs."

* * *

><p>Hermione sighed as she stepped out of the fireplace in her father's study. The vacation had been much less relaxing than she had been hoping for. She'd spent the last day, after having overheard Severus and David's argument in the hall, listening to lectures from her mother about talking back. Julie had spent the whole time laughing at her. She trudged up to her room and fell face first onto her bed. Archie hooted in greeting to her, seeming very happy to see her after two weeks apart. "Hey Archie, how have you been buddy?" She cooed, rolling to her side until she could see her owl perched on his cage.<p>

Dinner was quiet, and for the first time in weeks, it was just her and her father. She played with her food a bit, and set down her chop sticks. "I was thinking I'd like to go to Diagon ally alone this year, with Harry and Ron." She said suddenly, looking at her father. He froze with his own chop sticks halfway to his mouth and frowned. "I don't-" "I don't want them in more danger, and I'd like to think my friends and I have proven ourselves capable of getting out of trouble." She cut him off before he could flat out refuse. She didn't want Jane and David exposing themselves to the wizarding world any more, let alone connecting themselves with her. And Julie, she needed to be given a break from the insanity for a while. "I'd feel better if you didn't." He said sternly, resuming his meal.

She rolled her eyes and pushed away from the table, "I'd feel better if my muggle family stopped getting attacked because of me." She replied, picking up her glass of water, "I'm going to pack my school things. I'm meeting Harry and Ron in the morning." She left the room before he could say anything else.

Severus watched his daughter leave the dining room silently. He had been waiting for this confrontation. He pulled out his wand and vanished the food, then went to his study. Once he was seated behind his desk, a glass of firewhiskey in front of him, and the fire roaring behind him, he allowed himself to think over the events of the summer. He had been unable to prevent another attack on Julie and Hermione. He had been accused, by David, of being an uncaring father. He had begun a tentative, and most likely doomed, sort of relationship with Julie. Who was he kidding?

* * *

><p>end chapter two!<p>

Sorry, not much to put in the AN this time. I've been too sick to be writing much, caught the flu.


	3. Double, Double, Toil And Trouble

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Three: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Disclaimer: Still not mine (sigh)

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><p>Hermione had just finished booking her room at the Leaky Cauldron when she was tackled from behind by two overly rambunctious boys. "What the-" "Quick Fred, before ickle Ronniekins sees." She was whisked off to a dark corner in the dingy pub before she realized that it was Fred and George, Ron's older twin brothers, whom had dragged her off. "Er..." She leaned against the wall as the twins smirked at her knowingly, "Hello Hermione," Fred said smoothly, laying his right hand on her left shoulder as George laid his left hand on her right shoulder, and they blocked her view of the hall.<p>

"I'm not sure if you're quite aware," George cut in, "we're devious, cunning little sneaks." "Spies, rather," Fred said, mockingly scolding his twin, "And at the end of last year, we noticed something incredibly odd." She swallowed nervously, wondering just what they were getting at. "Now, ickle Ron and Harry are a bit slow on the uptake," they both snickered making her feel uncomfortable, "But we, are much cleverer." She very much doubted this claim, as 'cleverer' was not a real word, "We noticed a certain Professor spending an awful lot of time attending to a certain student."

She bit her lip and tried to shift away from them, "We, were curious and concerned," George took over speaking now, and he lowered his voice, "So naturally we broke into the student's records. Would you believe that dear old _Snape_ has a daughter?" His tone was devious, and she cursed silently. "And would you believe _who_ his daughter is?" Fred asked. She groaned and her head slumped forward, "You know? Who else have you told?" She heard their feigned gasps, and drew back coldly, letting her inner Slytherin take over. "Well, look at that." "She _is_ Slytherin." They gave her twin smirks and fully wrapped their arms around her shoulders, "We haven't told anyone, princess." They said in unison, while Fred pulled a piece of old parchment out of his back pocket. "However, this will. We were thinking about passing it along to the new generation of trouble makers."

She eyed the parchment suspiciously, "How is that going to tell anyone?" The twins chuckled and George tapped it with his wand, whispering something she couldn't hear, and ink flooded the parchment. "It's a map of Hogwarts?" She asked cautiously, taking in the map. "Yes." They replied in unison. "You can't see it here, of course," Fred waved the map in front of her, "as we're not in Hogwarts." George tapped the parchment again and everything vanished, "But it shows the _full _names of every one inside the castle. And, when there's a relation between two names," "It gives off this lovely red glow."

She frowned and tried to escape their grips, but they held tight, "What's your point? Are you going to tell Harry and Ron?" She continued to struggle, "Are you going to tell everyone? Make a big joke of it?" She finally succeeded in escaping their grip and fixed them both with a stern glare. "You're meddling in things that are not your concern, Fred and George." She placed her hands on her hips and they shrugged. "We just thought you'd like to know," Fred said, "so you could have time to think up excuses for ickle Ron and Harry, when they possibly spot you lounging with Slytherin's." She clenched her hands into fists, "But we won't tell. Anyway, Ronniekins is waiting for you. Best run along now, little snake."

She watched as they strode off down the hall, and as soon as they were out of sight, she kicked the wall with her foot. She limped her way back down to the main part of the pub and met up with a very enthusiastic Ron. "How long have you been here? Seen Harry yet?" He asked as soon as she was close enough to reply. "No, I've only just finished checking into my room Ron. Tom said Harry's stepped out already. I'll bet he's looking at brooms." They left the dingy pub and Hermione led Ron up to Gringotts, and made him wait as she went to her vault. She withdrew enough money to fill her purse and they left to find their dark haired best friend.

They spent an awkward hour, making bits of small talk as they went to get new robes and books. Finally, around lunch, they spotted the very bored looking Gryffindor team seeker wandering aimlessly by Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor, where they had stopped for a snack. "Harry! HARRY!" She jumped up, waiving her arms to gain the boys attention. He made a bee-line for them and took the empty seat at their four person table. Ron launched off, speaking a mile a minute, and when Harry cut him off to ask how they'd known he was staying at the Leaky Cauldron, she decided to scare the boys with her serious tone. "Did you _really_ blow up your aunt Harry?"

He looked down and brushed his hair away from his face, and she caught a glimpse of his scar before his scraggly hair covered it again. "I didn't mean to." He said sourly, and Ron roared with laughter, "I just - lost control." She bit back a chuckle of her own, she knew it wasn't really funny that he'd blown up his muggle aunt, but she could just imagine a female version of Vernon stuck floating to ceiling of a prim and proper little muggle kitchen. "It's not funny Ron," she said sharply, "I'm honestly amazed Harry wasn't expelled."

The dark haired boy sighed, "So am I. Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." He looked to Ron, "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?" Ron shrugged and Hermione bit her tongue. Maybe Ron didn't know, but she had a pretty darn good idea. She figured it had something to do with the convict that had escaped Azkaban, the wizarding prison, over the summer. She just wasn't quite sure what the connecting factor was. "It's probably just 'cause it's you." Ron said after a moment, before going off on a tangent of what his mother would do to him if he'd blown up his aunt. "Anyway, you can ask dad tonight, we're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! Hermione's there as well." She cleared her throat and gave the boys an awkward grin, "Yeah, my parent's just dropped me off. Thought it would make it easier."

"Excellent," Harry said happily, she guessed he'd probably been rather lonely here. "So have you got all your new school stuff?" The first thing Ron showed Harry was his brand new wand, and Hermione smiled wryly. Perhaps now Ron would fare better in his classes, with a wand that liked him. "What's all that Hermione?" Harry asked, finally noticing the three bulging bags of books beside her chair. "Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you two, aren't I?" She said defensively as the Ron picked up one of the bags to sift through. "Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies-" Ron snorted and cut her off as she snatched the bag back, "What're you taking Muggle Studies for? You were raised by muggles."

She tucked the bag back down with the others and ignored the red head, "It'll be fascinating to study them from a wizarding point of view." In truth, she was hoping to try and discover where exactly the prejudices against muggles came from, and hopefully get to speak with her distant grandmother. "Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" The boys asked, sniggering now, and she ignored them. "I've still got ten Galleons." She said, mentally counting how much she had left that she'd decided to allow herself to spend for the day, "It's my birthday in September, and mom and dad gave me some money to get a present." She stood and gathered her bags, fully intending to leave the boys behind, when Ron piped up about wanting to get some tonic for his pet rat, Scabbers.

Harry led them off to the closest magical creatures shop and she let her attention wander to the many animals in the shop. Her eyes fell on a fluffy ginger cat just before it made a mad leap at Ron. "NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" The witch behind the desk shouted, trying to get the cat away from Ron's rat, "Scabbers!" Ron shouted, lunging for the frightened, sickly, balding rat. The boys rushed out of the shop and Hermione stayed rooted for a moment. The large orange cat was now sitting on the counter, being held by the shop keeper. "He's beautiful." She said, stepping forward to pet the cat. He purred as she scratched behind his ears. "Poor Crookshanks has been here ages now. We can't seem to sell him." The witch behind the counter said, stroking the cat's soft fur as well.

Automatically Hermione reached for her purse, "How much?" She wasn't sure Archie would like her having a cat, but she couldn't leave the poor thing behind. "Eight Galleons." The sales witch said brightly, "And that includes a travel basket, collar and food dish. I'll even throw in some food!" The twelve year old witch handed the gold coins to the enthusiastic shopkeeper and soon walked out of the store with the fluffy orange cat curled up in her arms, and a travel basket of supplies. "You _bought_ that monster?" Ron gasped as she walked up to them, and she smiled, "He's _gorgeous_ isn't he?"

Crookshanks purred happily in her arms and she rubbed her cheek against the top of his head, "Hermione! He nearly scalped me!" Ron shouted, cringing as the cat fixed his eyes on him. Hermione scoffed, "He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" She rolled her eyes at the now sulking boy as he ranted about his poor, sick rat, which needed rest. Her response was to pluck the rat tonic out of her pocket and hand it to him, reminding him as well that her cat would be sleeping in her room, not his.

* * *

><p>Hermione lay in her bed that night, wide awake. Crookshanks had perched himself on her chest, purring away happily, but her mind was far away. Her life had changed so dramatically, and so had she, in the last two years. She felt like she was being forced to grow up much too fast now, and she longed for the care free days she had enjoyed in primary school. When she was younger, she would have never, ever, gone running off after dangerous men, or been able to face an attacker without crying in fear. Granted, she still had difficulty controlling her emotions, she felt very old at the moment.<p>

She ran her fingers numbly through Crookshanks' fur, wondering what would happen this year. Voldemort had yet to fail to make an appearance at Hogwarts, and the escaped convict, Sirius Black, was a death eater. It made her wonder if maybe she ought to run off into hiding with David and Jane, and leave her father to face the evils of the wizarding world the way he had before. Draco had told her, when they'd had a few moments alone in Paris, that most of his father's society believed her to be dead. She ought to have felt reassured by this, if the wizards and witches her father was worried about thought his daughter was dead, then there would be no more attacks. But then, who had attacked her at Julie's?

* * *

><p>The train was packed by the time Hermione and Ron boarded it, searching for an empty compartment, Harry lagging behind to speak with Arthur Weasley. "There's got to be somewhere that's free." Ron grunted as they moved further down the train. By the time Harry had joined them, telling them in a rush that he had something very important to pass along to them, they had stumbled on the closest thing to a free compartment they could find. Inside was a man, dressed in shabby robes, looking ill and exhausted, and sound asleep. "Well, it's here or nowhere." She said, opening the door and quietly taking a seat across from the sleeping wizard. "Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron asked as he and Harry followed her in.<p>

"Professor R. J. Lupin." She responded, her eyes falling on the briefcase resting on the rack above his head. "How d'you know that?" She pointed up to the case and sighed as the boys looked up. They really weren't as observant as they ought to be, when it concerned anyone other than Snape or Malfoy. "Wonder what he teaches?" She wanted reach over and smack the red head, but she restrained herself. "That's obvious isn't it? How many openings do you think there are?" It finally seemed to click that he would be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, "Hope he's up to the job. Looks like one good hex would finish him off." Ron said after a moment, with his usual tactlessness.

"Anyway, what'd you want to tell us Harry?" He drew Hermione's attention back to Harry, and the dark haired boy began to speak. "Well, it's about Sirius Black," He said quietly, and they leaned in closely. "Fudge reckons that he's escaped to come after me. Your dad," he nodded to Ron, "thinks that Black wants me dead because he believes it'll bring back -" he dropped his voice even lower here, "-_Voldemort_." She felt her jaw drop.

"Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban to come after you? Oh Harry..." She bit her lip, twisting her t-shirt in her hands, "You'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for -" He cut her off with a derisive snort of laughter. "I don't! Trouble usually finds _me_." Harry insisted. Ron, as usual, was on Harry's side. "How thick would Harry have to be to go looking for some nutter who wants to kill him?" She opened her mouth to point out that they had done exactly that in their first year, and something rather similar during their second year, but Ron cut her off, adding shakily, "No one knows how he got out of Azkaban. No one's ever done it before. And he was a top security prisoner."

"But they'll catch him, won't they?" She asked as the red head finally fell silent. "I mean, they've even got the muggles looking for him." She recalled the conversation she'd over heard in Paris, when David had been arguing with her father. It had apparently started when David had mentioned seeing the news report before they'd left England. They slowly became aware of a faint whistling sound, and after a short search, Harry pulled a small object from his trunk. "Is that a sneakoscope?" She asked as her eyes fell on the small glass spinning top. "Yeah, mind you it's a cheap one. Went haywire when I was tying it to Errol." Ron said, watching the spinning top as well.

They stuffed it back into the trunk, inside of a pair of large woolen socks. "We can get it checked in Hogsmeade," Ron offered as Harry closed his trunk. "They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges." They spent the rest of their time before lunch discussing what they thought they might find in the small wizarding village. "It'll be nice to get out of the school a bit and explore Hogsmeade, won't it?" Hermione asked with a dreamy sigh, at which Harry scoffed. "'Spect it will. Let me know when you've found out, will you?" He went on to explain, at their curious looks, that he had been unable to get his uncle to sign the permission form. Hermione felt rather kindred to him there, she'd fought tooth and nail to have her father sign the form. Or rather, to keep him from shredding the form after Sirius Black had escaped.

As night began to fall, she left the compartment to find a washroom so she could change into her school robes, as the boys did the same in their compartment. As she stepped out into the hall again she came face to face with Draco. They were the only two out of their compartments, she noticed, so she offered him a small smile, "Hey." He cleared his throat awkwardly and shoved his fists into his pockets, "Hey. How was the rest of your vacation?" She shrugged and hugged her folded jeans and shirt to her chest, "It was alright, I suppose. Yours?" He grimaced, "I was reunited with my Quidditch tutor."

She felt slightly awkward, chatting with the blonde boy after he'd stopped by their compartment and taunted Ron, but she was relieved he was being nice again. She was getting whiplash from his two-faced act. "I think you'll do better this year. Just remember not to let yourself get distracted by other people so much." She offered kindly, and he smirked in return. "Yeah. This year, Slytherin is going win the house cup _and_ the Quidditch cup, as long as you Gryffindor's play fair." She laughed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "Don't worry. So far, there are no plans to thwart any evil. In fact, Ron and I are trying to find ways to keep Harry _out_ of trouble. And _in_ the dormitories." The trains whistle blew, and she sighed, "Speaking of them," Draco nodded and looked as though he were debating with himself, before stepping aside, "Best get back before Potty and Weasel lose their heads." She rolled her eyes and walked back in the direction of her compartment.

She had barely taken her seat when the train screeched to a halt. The power went out, and they fell into darkness. "We can't be there yet." She looked down at her watch, the face of it glowing up at her. It was far too early for them to have arrived. Pandemonium broke out in their compartment as Neville and Ginny found their way in, toes were stepped on, and people were sat on until Professor Lupin suddenly spoke up. "Quiet!" His voice was hoarse, and she thought that it was perhaps more the surprise that he was awake finally, that compelled them into obeying the command, then the fact he was a teacher.

Flames sprung to life in the palm of his hand and he seemed even sicker in the flickering light. "Stay where you are." He slowly got to his feet, but the door opened before he made it very far. A large cloaked figure was towering in the doorway, as tall as the ceiling, a slimy greyish hand protruding from it. Hermione suddenly felt as though she were re-living every horrible day of her life. She swallowed hard as her father's voice floated around her, with her freezing breath, and then, she heard a new voice. It was female, and it was gasping with pain. She could almost make out the whispered words between the grunts of pain, when the voices vanished. She looked around, shaking violently, and shrieked when she saw Harry unconscious on the floor of the compartment. "Calm down, calm down. He's fine." Lupin's raspy voice stunned her.

Hermione wrapped her arms around herself and leaned into Ginny, whom had slumped down onto the bench beside her. "What was that thing?" She asked after a moment, realizing that the hooded figure had gone. "A Dementor." Lupin answered, lifting Harry and placing him on the bench he had previously been occupying. As soon as the boy was settled, the shabby Professor reached up into his bag and pulled out a large bar of chocolate. He snapped it into several pieces and handed one to each of the shaking students. "It's just chocolate." He assured them, "It helps."

Harry woke up a few minutes later, looking ashen, as the lanterns flickered back on and the train began to move again. "Are you ok?" Ron asked nervously, as Lupin broke off another piece of chocolate for Harry. "Yeah." The dark haired boy pushed himself into a sitting position, "What happened? Where's that - that thing? Who screamed?" Ron looked more nervous and told him that no one had screamed. "Speak for yourself, I heard a scream too." Hermione groaned under her breath, remembering the pain-filled voice of the mystery woman. She fixed her eyes on her lap as she felt Professor Lupin's eyes on her, she didn't want to know if he'd been let in on the secret or not.

"What was that thing?" Harry asked, drawing the Professor's attention away from Hermione, and she zoned out as he explained again for Harry. She wondered why only she and Harry had seemed to hear the screaming woman; and if what they heard had even been the same woman. What she had heard hadn't seemed much like a scream, so much as shouting. "I need to go speak to the driver, excuse me." Lupin left the compartment and Hermione brought her focus back onto the conversation. Ron was explaining what had happened as Harry had blacked out. She silently nibbled on her chocolate, after offering the only bit of information she could remember. Her own mind had gone foggy as the shabby Professor had stepped over Harry. "It was horrible," Neville's voice was much higher than normal as he piped in his thoughts, and Ginny huddled closer into Hermione's side, the older girl wrapping an arm around the young red head for mutual comfort.

By the time Professor Lupin returned, Harry was sulking over Ron telling him that no one else had fallen from their seats. Hermione had wanted to tell the dark haired boy she had nearly fallen, but the words died in her mouth when she saw Lupin. "We'll be at Hogwarts in about ten minutes." He said kindly as he stepped back into the compartment and sat in the last bit of cramped space.

They scrambled off the train and were greeted by Hagrid, but were unable to stop and speak with him as the swarm of students pushed them onward. "Where're we going?" Harry asked, looking as confused as Ron, and Hermione laughed bitterly after a moment, "That's right; you didn't come this way last year. We're going to the coaches." She led them onward and they found a mostly empty carriage. As they passed by the school gates they spotted two more Dementors and felt the same rush of sick cold that they had felt on the train. She had never been happier to see the front steps of the school as they pulled up and stepped out of the horseless carriage. Before they could even reach the front doors, she heard the familiar taunting drawl of Draco Malfoy from behind them. "You _fainted_ Potter?"

She heard Harry curse under his breath, and she sighed. Never a moment of peace, is there? "Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually _fainted_?" Draco made his way up the steps and elbowed past her, and she made a silent reminder for herself to speak with Neville as she grabbed hold of the backs of both Harry and Ron's robes, just in case. She sent a glare at the blonde boy, but he ignored her as Ron attempted to lash out, "Shove off Malfoy." "Did you faint as well Weasley?" The Slytherin boy sneered, and she wished he would go away. "Did the scary old Dementor frighten you, too, Weasley?"

Just as she was about to lose her grip on Ron's robes, Lupin appeared in the crowd, "Is there a problem here?" His presence was just enough to end the taunting, but the sarcasm dripping from Draco's words as responded was palpable. "Oh, no - er - Professor." He made his way into the castle flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, and Hermione released her grip on the boys. Just as they about to enter the great hall, McGonagall's voice floated over the heads of the students, drawing her and Harry away from the promising feast. "Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!" Dejectedly they left the crowd and made their way to Professor McGonagall.

"There's no need to look so worried - I just want a word in my office." She said as they got closer, and Hermione guessed that Harry must have looked terrified. "Move along Weasley," She called out, and Hermione watched the red head make his way to the feast out of the corner of her eye. She and Harry followed their head of house silently up to her office, and sat as near to the big, welcoming fire, as they could. "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead and said you had taken ill on the train, Potter." McGonagall said as she sat in the large chair behind her desk, as Harry tried to reply, the door to the office opened and Madam Pomfrey bustled in. "I'm fine, I don't need anything-" Harry tried to protest as the healer fussed over him. "Oh it's you." She said plainly, realizing that once again, it was Harry Potter who had been the 'victim'. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again, have you?"

Hermione fought the urge to smile as McGonagall corrected the healer, informing her it was "Dementors at fault this time, Poppy." The healer tutted under her breath and muttered about the insanity of allowing such horrible creatures to be around such _delicate_ students. Harry's temper flared, "I'm _not_ delicate!" He shouted. Poppy patted his arm patronizingly and hummed, "Of course you're not dear." While checking his pulse with her other hand. "What does he need?" McGonagall asked crisply after a moment, "Bed rest? Perhaps a night in the hospital wing?" Hermione could feel Harry seething now, and she managed not to jump when he raised his voice once again, to insist he was fine. "Well he should have some chocolate at the very least." Poppy stated, ignoring the outburst.

"We've already had some," Hermione said politely, as Harry looked fit to burst. "Professor Lupin gave it to us." Madam Pomfrey finally backed away from the dark haired boy, a smile playing across her lips. "Did he now? So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies." "Are you sure, you feel alright Potter?" McGonagall asked at the healer opened the door to the office again, "Yes." Harry said firmly, "Alright, then step outside please. I need to have a word with Miss Granger about her schedule." It was silent until the door closed loudly behind Harry.

The Transfiguration Professor fixed her eyes on the young brunette in front of her and pulled open her desk drawer. "I trust you have been wondering about your schedule this year." She pulled a small wrapped box out of the drawer and placed it on the table. "Inside this box is not only your special timetable, but a rare magical item." Hermione bit her lip as the wrapping was undone, and the lid removed. "This is a time-turner." McGonagall pulled out a long golden chain with a circular pendant, a small hour-glass charm in the middle of it, sparkling in the fire light. "We had to pull a few big favors with the Ministry, but we secured this for _your_ use only." She handed it to the young girl, "To use it, the chain must be around your neck, and turn the hour glass once for every hour you need to go back." Hermione tucked the chain around her neck and beneath the front of her robes, "Doing this, you will be able to repeat hours. There are two things I think you will need to be aware of."

"Number one, and this is vastly important, you must _not_ be seen. Not by yourself, nor anyone. Bad things happen to those witches and wizards who meddle in time." The stern words sent shivers down Hermione's spine and she nodded once, "Also, if you prolong the use of the time-turner, you _will_ age faster. If you use it the whole year, and I implore you drop a few classes by the end of the year, you will be fifteen at your next birthday." Hermione looked down at the slight lump beneath her robes and then looked back up, "I'll lose a year?" She asked, wondering for a moment if it was worth the lost year, to have so many classes. "Yes and no. You will live two years simultaneously, and believe me; your father was not pleased by the idea." The young Gryffindor sighed, "I bet...Oh...Professor, I have a question about Professor Lupin."

She plucked her timetable out of the box on the table and tucked it into her robes before continuing, "I was wondering if he, - that is, if Dumbledore has told him -" Professor McGonagall shook her head with a wry smile, "No, Miss Granger, he has not been told. Although I implore you to be careful. He was not friendly with your father when they were in school together, and should he find out, we can't know what would happen." She gasped and the head of Gryffindor house chuckled, "Not that he would hurt any student, Professor Lupin is harmless. Now, come. We must be getting back to the feast."

When they arrived in the great hall, the sorting had just finished, and as they took their seats, Professor Dumbledore stood to give his start of term speech. "Welcome!" He said jovially, before seriousness took over. He informed them about the Dementors, who were there to protect them all, in the event Sirius Black should make an appearance. He went on to introduce the new Professor, and Ron's focus was lost. "Look at Snape!" He hissed in Harry's ear, and Hermione rolled her eyes as she caught the words, before settling her gaze on her father. Indeed, he had never seemed particularly fond of any of their previous DADA teachers, but he seemed to _really_ loath Professor Lupin. She recalled McGonagall's words and shivered.

"And our second new appointment," Dumbledore's voice brought a new wave of silence over the room, "Well I am sorry to inform you Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say his place will be taken by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his game keeping duties." There was a thunderous roar of applause for Hagrid from the Gryffindor table.

When the feast finally ended, Hermione found herself rushing to the staff table with Harry and Ron, squealing a congratulations at the giant man, "All down ter you three," He said, wiping his face with his napkin as he looked down at them, "Can' believe it...great man, Dumbledore. Came straight down to me hut after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough. It's what I always wanted..." He became overcome with emotion and buried his face in his napkin, and they were shooed away by McGonagall. They followed the rush of students and found themselves in their dorms soon enough. Hermione curled up with Crookshanks and was about to drift off to sleep when Lavender and Parvati came in. "You'll never believe what I heard." Lavender boasted, "Oooh what is it?" Parvati squealed, making Hermione roll her eyes, despite the fact they were still closed.

"Well, my uncle started working at the Daily Prophet, and he was in charge of an article about Hermione." Said brunette felt the colour drain from her face. "It got cut because there wasn't enough details, but the main part was that a random death eater attacked a muggle dwelling, while Hermione was there. It's like she attracts them to muggle places!" She growled under her breath and promised retribution against the gossipy girls.

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><p>End chapter three!<p>

Now that my flu is gone, I can focus enough to write my AN!

First, thanks to my reviewers, and yes, I know...JulieXSnape was unexpected. I hadn't intended for it to crop up in this story, but it won't alter our beloved Severus Snape too much. There's some really interesting plot 'twists' coming up though, to make up for the sort of sudden JulieXSnape bit.

My chapter of Severus/Draco POV was so well received in Year Two, that I've done it again in Year Three around Christmas, so you have something interesting to look forward to. I have to admit, I was worried this one might turn out a little dry for plot, seeing as Harry and Ron are angry with Hermione through most of the book, and she's not in a good chunk of it. But I think I've made up for that, with my Dramione, and my Father/Daughter bits. And my twist!

I'm still hammering out the ending of the story, but don't worry, I'll keep it pretty accurate, I'm just debating if Harry and Ron should discover the actual relation between Hermione and Snape in this book or the next one. I, so far, have her straighten them out about their earlier 'theory' (wherein they (Ron) suggest that Hermione is in a sort-of-twisted relationship with their potions master.)

I've let this chapter run longer than the first two because I won't be posting for a couple days, and I want my readers to have something to read.


	4. Tea Leaves And Twits

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Four: Tea Leaves and Twits

Discalimer: Still not mine...

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><p>The next morning started out aggravating. Hermione tucker her time-turner away beneath her robes, and left her room, only to discover Harry and Ron had gone down to breakfast without her. She slung her over-stuffed book bag over her shoulder and made her way down to the great hall, where she found her boys, face to face with most of the third year Slytherin's. Draco was in the midst of a feigned swooning fit when she came up beside Harry, "Ignore him." She said firmly, dragging the easily angered boy away from the entrance hall.<p>

They sat at the table, and were greeted by Fred and George, "New third year time tables," The later said, handing Harry and Ron each a piece of parchment, "What's up with you Harry?" He asked, noticing the dark look on Harry's face. Hermione sighed and jerked her thumb towards the table across the hall, "Malfoy." Ron snarled, and his brothers looked up to see the blonde boy pretend to faint in terror again. Hermione bit the inside of her cheek to stop from smiling. He looked rather silly, flailing about, and she might have gotten away with laughing had he not been mocking Harry.

"That little git." George said calmly, "He wasn't so cocky last night when the Dementors were in our part of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he Fred?" "Nearly wet himself," Fred said in agreement, shooting a dirty look towards Draco. Hermione turned to face the blonde boy, so her face was blocked from her friends and rolled her eyes at his antics. He winked at her and she turned back to the table, "Forget it Harry. Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember Fred?" George seemed to be attempting to cheer Harry up now. And the conversation switched abruptly to the first Quidditch match of the season. It was going to be Slytherin vs. Gryffindor, and Hermione had no idea who to root for. Especially since she wasn't starting this year mad with her Slytherin friend.

She pulled out her timetable, and smiled, "Oooh good, we're starting some of our new subjects today." As a matter of fact she had three new classes in the next hour. She was flicking through her bag to make sure she had her first few books when her timetable was snatched out of her hand by Ron. "Hermione," he said frowning, "They've messed up your timetable. Look - they've got you down for ten subjects a day. There isn't enough _time_." She resisted the urge to snicker as she attempted to steal back her timetable, wondering if he'd ever realize his pun. "I'll manage; I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall." "But look," He was laughing now, holding the paper out of her reach, "see this morning? Nine o'clock Divination, and underneath that, Nine o'clock Muggle Studies, and underneath that, Nine o'clock Arithmancy."

She finally retrieved her timetable and stood up, ignoring her breakfast. "I know you're good Hermione, but no one's _that_ good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?" She rolled her eyes at his erratic questioning and sat back down, deciding that if she was going to try and live two years at once, she would need to eat after all. "Don't be silly." She said shortly, picking some toast out of the basket, "Of course I won't be in three classes at once." "Well then-" "Pass the marmalade." She wished he would stop talking for once. "But-" She slammed her palms down on the table and glared at the red haired boy across from her, "Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my timetable's a bit full? I've told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall." She picked up her book bag again and stormed away from the table, only to be turned back around by Hagrid as he entered the great hall.

She fell back down in her seat and sighed, "All righ'?" The gamekeeper asked cheerily, "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five gettin' everythin' ready. Hope its ok...me, a teacher...hones'ly..." He flashed them a broad grin and continued on his way. Thankfully, the topic of conversation had now changed, and she had time to drink a quick mug of coffee. She had the distinct impression she was going to regret much of what happened this year.

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><p>Divination was interesting, to say the least. The teacher, Professor Trelawney, struck Hermione as a bit of a fraud. She looked much like the muggle fortune-tellers on late night television. They had started their class with high expectations, and Hermione was fairly sure her room mates had been sucked into the spell of the mysterious teacher. In the first ten minutes she'd scared poor Neville out his wits, turned Parvati against Ron, predicted a flu epidemic, and hinted at someone leaving forever near Easter; and convinced Lavender to dread something horrible in October.<p>

Of course, the young brunette couldn't help the smirk that slipped across her face as she opened her copy of _Unfogging the Future_ and they began their lesson on reading tea leaves. As usual, the boys paired up and left her to fend for herself, and she was forced to pair with Neville for the class. She dutifully ignored the constant babble of nonsense between Harry and Ron, trying to focus on Neville as he read her tea leaves. "Um, ok, looks like you'll - er, get into a big fight. And, -er...no, that can't be right." He hunched down closer to his book, squinting at the page. "Well, what is it?" She asked impatiently, having already finished reading his cup. "It looks like, if I'm right, you'll -" "Let me see that dear," Professor Trelawney's voice cut off the pudgy boy from the next table over, "The Falcon...my dear, you have a deadly enemy." Hermione turned around to see the batty woman looking into Harry's tea cup, and snorted, "But everyone knows _that_."

The bug eyed Professor turned to look at her and she rolled her eyes, "Well they do. Everyone knows about Harry and you-know-who." She caught the amazed looks on her best friends' faces and smiled. They had never heard her talk back to a teacher before. Trelawney turned back to the tea cup, ignoring her, and she turned back to Neville, informing him of what she'd read from his mug, "I don't want to know what mine says." She snapped when he tried to finish reading hers.

Professor Trelawney let out a startling gasp, and began to rant and rave about something called a 'Grim'. Hermione flipped the pages in her book out of boredom as the eccentric woman went on to define the Grim to the class, although she acted as though it was painful to do so. "The Grim, my dear, the Grim! The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen - the worst omen - of _death_." Nearly the whole class gasped as though she had revealed Voldemort was hiding inside the tea cup. Hermione rolled her eyes and stood from her poufy seat, so she could peer into the tea cup over the Professor's shoulder as Harry became the center of attention. "I don't think it looks like a Grim." She said plainly, looking down at the shapeless mush. If it looked like anything, it was more like a bat.

Regardless of what it actually looked like, Hermione was satisfied to say she'd accomplished her main goal, which had been to spare Harry the pitiful stares. It wasn't long until other students snatched up the cup and began debating their opinions, and before they knew it, class was over. Hermione slipped away from her friends and hid behind a tapestry, pulling her time-turner out of her robes. She turned the tiny hourglass twice, and slipped off to Muggle Studies. To say she was surprised when she walked into the class to see Pansy and Millicent, would be an understatement. She took a seat far away from the two girls and waited impatiently for the class to start.

After the second class was done, she rushed to the girl's toilet on the second floor, and pulled out her time turner again; giving it another two full turns. She hurried off to Arithmancy, fighting a yawn that wished to escape. She was dead tired now. And it was still only morning.

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><p>When they finally made it to lunch, after Transfiguration (and Ancient Runes,) Harry and Ron watched in awe as she drank no less than four mugs of coffee. She, high on a rush of caffeine, shoved a big plate of stew towards Ron, "Oh cheer up. You heard what Professor McGonagall said." She piled food onto her own plate and began eating as the two boys remained concerned. "Harry, you <em>haven't<em> seen a great black dog anywhere have you?" Ron asked, not touching his food. "Yeah, I have." Harry replied, and Hermione choked on her mouthful of stew. "I saw one the night I left the Dursley's." She took a large gulp of her coffee and as soon as she could speak, said "It was probably a stray." Ron looked at her like she had lost her mind, and she sighed as he launched into a superstitious tale about his uncle, whom had seen a grim and died.

"Coincidence." She said airily, pouring some pumpkin juice for herself, now that she had drank as much coffee as she thought she could handle. "You don't know what you're talking about!" Ron shouted, his face going red with anger, "Grim's scare the living daylights out of most wizards!" She rolled her eyes and continued to work away on her lunch, "There you have it then," She said, pulling out her Arithmancy book to review the chapter she had for homework, (there would be no time to slack off, she had a week's worth of homework already,) "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death! And Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well I'd better pop my clogs then!" She briefly enjoyed the enraged silence she had stuck Ron into.

"I think Divination seems very woolly," She hummed, searching the page in her book before placing a tick beside the paragraph she would need later, "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me." "There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!" She could feel Harry sinking down into the bench as Ron continued to push the topic, "You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep." She said coolly, and Ron scoffed. "Professor Trelawney said you didn't have to right aura! You just don't like being rubbish at something for a change!"

She slammed her book shut angrily and stood from her seat, stuffing it back into her bag. She didn't need to be wasting time listening to Ron's rubbish when she had homework to do. "If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in clumps of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer!" She tossed her bag over her shoulder, "That lesson was rubbish compared to my Arithmancy class!" She stalked off without another word.

Harry and Ron exchanged confused glances as she walked off, "What's she going on about? She hasn't been to Arithmancy yet." Harry could only shrug as he toyed with the food on his plate, "Who knows mate." He said as Ron finally began eating. "Any way, did you hear anything over the summer from your mum and dad?" Harry asked, taking advantage of the rare moment of privacy. "Nope." Ron said through a mouthful of stew. "They seem to think maybe he just was being nice as a favour to Dumbledore." Harry sighed; they were no closer to finding out why Snape had spent so much time watching over Hermione in the hospital wing the year before. "I still think there's something funny about it." Ron said as he finished his plate of food, "Don't be ridiculous. Dumbledore knows everything that goes on here, he'd _never_ let that happen."

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><p>Hermione joined up with Harry and Ron again on the way down to Care of Magical Creatures, but she stubbornly refused to speak to Ron, still seething over his words at lunch. She felt both relief and dread in her gut as she noticed that the class would be split with Slytherin. Draco was still re-enacting Harry's fainting on the train, and she really didn't want any of the boys to lose their tempers during Hagrid's class.<p>

"C'mon now! Get a move on!" Hagrid's voice boomed from the edge of the forest, and even from the distance, Hermione could tell he was smiling behind his big busy beard. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, now follow me!" He led them along the edge of the forest to a paddock hidden behind his hut and Hermione decided she now fully dreaded the way the lesson would end. Biting text books and a paddock near the dark forest. Oh dear. Hagrid stopped just in front of the paddock and turned to face the class, "Everyone gather round the fence here!" He said gleefully, "That's it -" Hermione found herself standing quite close to where Hagrid was, with Harry and Ron each looking rather apprehensive beside her. "Make sure yeh can see. Now firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books -"

"How?" Draco's cold drawl drew the class' attention away from the excited teacher to the massive books struggling in their arms. Hermione traced the spellotape holding her book shut, and looked back to Hagrid as his face fell. "Eh?" "How do we open our books?" Draco repeated. "Hasn' - hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" Hagrid asked the students, looking crestfallen.

The entire class shook their heads. "Yeh've got ter _stroke_ 'em." He plucked the book out of her hand and held it up so the whole class could see, before ripping off the spellotape and running his finger down the spine of the book. It shuddered and fell open in his hand and he handed it back to her. Harry and Ron struggled to open their books, as Draco decided the class needed further commentary. "Oh, how _silly_ we've all been. We should have _stroked _them! Why didn't we guess?" Hermione rolled her eyes as she flipped through the introductory for the book. "I thought they were funny." Hagrid said dejectedly as the class finally managed to get their books all open.

"Oh tremendously funny!" Draco raved on, and Hermione shot him a glare that went ignored, "Really witty, giving us a book that tries to rip our hands off." Beside her, Harry tensed, "Shut up Malfoy." He said quietly, and the blonde boy paused to sneer at him. "Righ' then. So...so yeh've got yer books an'...an' now yeh need yer magical creatures. So I'll go an' get 'em...hang on." Hagrid hurried off into the forest and Hermione resisted the urge to throw her book at her Slytherin friend as he turned to his fellow house mates and said loudly, "God this place is going to the dogs. That oaf teaching classes, my father will have a fit when I tell him -" "Shut up Malfoy," Harry said again, louder this time.

Hermione rubbed at her temples as the boys began to bicker, and was glad for the first time ever to hear Lavender squeal, when silence fell over the rest of the class. She turned to face the forest and gasped. A dozen of the most beautiful, and bizarre, creatures she had ever seen were trotting up to the fence, with Hagrid right behind them, smiling again. The creatures each had the body and hind legs of a horse, but the heads, wings and front legs of what appeared to be giant eagles. Hermione's eyes fell on a beautiful dapple grey with storm coloured feathers, and she sighed lovingly. They were definitely beautiful creatures. Each beast had a thick leather collar around its neck, with long chains which Hagrid was using as a leash.

Once he reached the fence, he tied each one of the creatures down securely, and the class backed away in fear. "Hippogriffs!" Hagrid said proudly, waving a hand to one of the dozen animals, "Aren' they beautiful?" Hermione nodded eagerly, flipping to the page the index of her book indicated for the creatures. "So, if yeh want ter get a bit closer..." No one seemed to want to get much closer, except Hermione, and she was glad to see Harry and Ron step closer with her.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriff's is they're proud." Hermione listened eagerly, ignoring the mocking laughter coming from where Draco was standing with his goons, "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do. Yeh always want to wait fer the Hippogriff to make the firs' move, it's polite, see?" Hagrid patted the beak of the creature closest to him affectionately, "Yeh walk towards him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed to touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt."

"Alrigh', who wants ter go firs'?" Hermione rolled her eyes as most of the class backed away further, "No one?" Hagrid asked sadly. She nudged Harry in the ribs, he shot her a terrified look and she rolled her eyes at him. She pushed him forward slightly, and he stumbled. "I'll - I'll do it." He stuttered, as Hagrid beamed at him. The rest of the class gasped in shock, and those who were also in their divination class, whispered their concerns. "Oooh no Harry! Remember your tea leaves!" Hermione turned and shot a glare at Parvati and Lavender as Harry climbed over the fence.

She turned back in time to see Harry bow stiffly to the grey Hippogriff she had taken a liking to, whom was apparently named Buckbeak. Hagrid gently gave instructions to the dark haired boy as Buckbeak fixed a bright orange eye on him. "Ah," Hagrid said after a moment, as the Hippogriff refused to bow, "Right - back away now, Harry, easy does it." Before Harry could scurry back, the proud creature bent down onto one scaly knee and bowed in return.

Hermione watched enviously as Harry walked up to Buckbeak, and patted it on the beak. The Hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, and Hermione broke into a wide grin. How silly she'd been to worry Hagrid would bring untrained creatures. The class broke into soft applause behind her, although she noticed that Draco and his Slytherin crew seemed disappointed at the mild ending, and Hagrid clapped Harry on the back firmly. "Righ' then Harry, I reckon he migh' let yeh ride him!" The gamekeeper placed Harry on Buckbeak's back before the dark haired boy could protest, and in a flash the Hippogriff had taken off.

As soon as Harry landed unscathed, the rest of the class gained enough courage to step forward and try their luck. Things went along smoothly, until nearly the end of class. Hermione was lovingly patting a chestnut coloured Hippogriff, which had refused to bow to anyone else, when a pain filled shriek cut through the air. Before she could even blink, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak into his collar, and Draco was rolling on the ground, blood spurting from his arm. "Oh my - Draco!" She gasped, rushing to the fence as Hagrid scooped up the wailing blonde, who insisted he was now dying, and she opened the latch, pulling the gate open for Hagrid as he raced towards the castle. The class followed closely.

Hermione sat anxiously in the common room, "Do you think he'll be alright?" She asked shakily, remembering the blood pouring out of Draco's arm as Hagrid rushed him to the hospital wing. She wanted to go visit him, but she couldn't. Pansy had rushed off to her cousin's side, and Pansy had no idea she was still friends with Draco. "Of course he will," Harry assured her, taking the seat next to her on the couch by the fire, "Madam Pomfrey can heal cuts in an instant."

Dinner wasn't very lively, and although she had spent a few more hours thinking over the incident in Care of Magical Creatures than the boys had (she'd had two classes more,) she was still terrified about what would happen now. There was no way that Lucius Malfoy would allow this to slide, and just because he was no longer one of the school's governors, didn't mean he couldn't still get his way. Hagrid never showed up to dinner, and she found herself by the front doors of the school, looking down at Hagrid's hut longingly with Harry and Ron. "They wouldn't sack him, would they?" She asked nervously, watching the light flickering in the window of the hut in the distance. "They'd better not." Ron replied, leaning moodily against the door way, "Well, you can't say it wasn't an interesting first day back." The red head said, pushing himself upright, "If we hurried, we could go down and check on him." Harry said suddenly, and Hermione bit her lip.

"I don't know Harry..." She wasn't sure it was a good idea to traipsing about as they had for the previous two years, the school had already proven itself dangerous. "I'm allowed to walk across the _grounds_." Harry snapped, making his way across the grassy field. Hermione followed close behind with Ron, glancing about nervously. They reached Hagrid's hut and knocked. "C'min." A wheezy growl called out, and they opened the door to find Hagrid sitting at his massive oak table, a large pewter tankard in front of him, and Fangs head resting on his lap. It didn't take a genius to see he had been drinking heavily. His eyes were out of focus and he was swaying slightly on his chair.

"'Spect it's a record," He said thickly after he seemed to recognize them, "Don' reckon they've ever had a teacher who on'y lasted a day before." He took a big gulp of whatever was in the tankard, and Hermione sighed, edging closer to the table. "You haven't been sacked, Hagrid." She said calmly, "Not yet," He groaned, letting his head fall into his empty hand, "But 'sonly a matter o' time, i'n't it, after Malfoy..." They each took a seat around the table and Ron finally spoke up, "How is he? It wasn't serious was it?"

"Madam Pomfrey fixed 'im up best she can," Hagrid replied dully, "But he's sayin' it's still agony...covered in bandages...moanin'..." Harry patted Hagrid's arm and stated plainly that Malfoy was faking it. "Madam Pomfrey can mend anything. She regrew half my bones last year. Trust Malfoy to milk it for all its worth." Ron quickly agreed with Harry, always eager to jump to the defense of his best friend, and Hermione bit the inside of her cheek. She knew that Draco was probably faking the injury, but she couldn't help but to be worried about the prat.

Hagrid moaned about it being all his fault, and the Governor's opinions on the matter, and Hermione found herself agreeing with Ron as he firmly told Hagrid that it was Malfoy's fault, not his. The giant man pulled the two boys into a bone crushing hug and Hermione quickly removed the tankard from his reach, "I think you've had enough to drink Hagrid." She stood and brought it outside with her, pouring the remaining contents onto the ground. "Ar, maybe she's right." He said gruffly, releasing Harry and Ron from his grip, and heaving himself unsteadily out of his chair.

He went outside and they heard a loud splash of water, "What's he done?" Harry asked nervously, as Hermione stepped back inside finally, "Just dunked his head in the barrel of water. Don't worry." She placed the tankard back on the table as Hagrid reappeared, dripping water over his door step. "Tha's better." He said, ringing some of the water out of his bushy hair, "Listen, it was good of yeh ter come an' see me, I really -" He stopped midsentence, staring at them as if he had only just realized whom he'd been speaking to.

"WHAT D'YEH THINK YOU'RE DOIN', EH?" He roared, throwing his arms open wide, and Hermione was sure the boys jumped nearly a foot in surprise, "YEH'RE NOT TO GO WANDERIN' AROUND AFTER DARK, HARRY! AN' YOU TWO!" He rounded on Hermione and Ron with a massive scowl, "Lettin' him!" He grabbed the three of them and pulled them out of his hut quickly, "I'm takin' yeh lot back up ter the school, now." He marched the three Gryffindor's across the front lawns, and she felt a little better knowing Hagrid would still be teaching their next class.

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><p>Hermione borrowed Harry's invisibility cloak on Wednesday night, and snuck out of the dorms. She was dead tired, but she just couldn't sleep. Draco hadn't left the hospital wing since the first day. Normally two days wouldn't have been a big deal, for her to not see him, but with the use of her time-turner, it felt as though it had been a week. She hugged the 'borrowed' cloak around herself and snuck down the halls quietly. She tugged the cloak off of herself as she reached the doors to the infirmary and quietly let herself inside. Her eyes fell on Draco, whom was picking at the bandage wrapped around his wrist in a rather bored manner. "Hey." She said quietly, taking a seat on the bed beside his.<p>

Draco was surprised when he realized she was there, but he didn't let it show. He'd spent two days wondering if she'd find a way to come and visit or not. "Hey yourself. You look like shit." His grey eyes took in her overly tired face, and the bags forming under her eyes. She chuckled and began playing with the folded invisibility cloak in her lap. "Yeah, I haven't been sleeping; it's been a very long week for me." Her dark eyes landed on his arm and she cleared her throat, "It wasn't too bad, was it?"

The blonde boy shrugged and stiffly stretched his fingers, "It healed fairly well. But mother is making me stay here until the muscles go back to normal." As if to prove his point, only two of his fingers bent all the way, making him look like he was making air quotations with his hand. "Hagrid's a mess." She said, diverting her eyes to the window to watch the rain slide down the glass pane. "He ought to be, that oaf. It's all his fault I-" She sent a sharp glare at the blonde and he stopped mid-sentence. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, Malfoy." She snapped, using his last name in anger.

"Or what, _Granger_, what are _you_ gonna do?" He hissed, returning her glare. She scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, "There's nothing I _can_ do. But you would have known, if you had been listening, that insulting a Hippogriff is as dangerous as prodding a sleeping dragon in the eye." They stared each other down, neither relenting until they heard Madam Pomfrey open the door to her office. Draco's eyes flickered to the healer as she poked her head out, and back to the bed where Hermione had been sitting, only to find the brown haired witch gone. "What the-" He looked around, but didn't see her anywhere. "What's going on out here Mister Malfoy?" The healer asked, her eyes settling on the only occupied bed.

Draco shrugged, "Must've been talking in my sleep." She went back into her office and he heard a sigh of relief beside him. He turned back to the bed next to him and saw Hermione sitting exactly as she had been before. "What the hell Hermione-" She placed her finger to her lips and shushed him, "Not so loud Draco. I need to get going, I have eight classes tomorrow. I just wanted to see if you were ok." She stood, and quickly stooped down to hug her injured friend. He wrapped his good arm around her shoulder in return and she hesitated before placing a kiss on his cheek and dashing out of the room. Draco laid awake the rest of the night, playing over the visit in his mind, his good hand occasionally reaching up to touch the place her lips had been on his cheek. He tried to ignore the feelings that bubbled up in his chest uncomfortably; he wondered why there were butterflies in his stomach as he thought about her.

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><p>End chapter four!<p>

This chapter, at the end at least, has a little hint of Dramione, and don't worry there's a few more sweet moments like it coming up.

Also, I've noticed one itty bitty error in chapter three where Ron gets to be known as 'the Ron' for a sentence. I forget where abouts it is, but I think what hapened was I wrote 'they' and changed my mind and didn't backspace enough.


	5. Inside Jokes Are Fun

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Five: Inside jokes are fun

Disclaimer: still not mine

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><p>Hermione was much more cheerful the next morning as she attended her Thursday classes. She even ventured to smile as she walked into the potions classroom fifteen minutes early. Her father was sitting at his desk, pouring himself over various assignments; his eyes flickered up and connected with hers for a moment before he continued marking the paper in front of him. "Good morning Hermione. You're early." He said, leaning back in his chair as he finished grading the essay. She shrugged and took her usual seat in the classroom, "Yeah, well, the time-turner doesn't do partial hours so well. I tend to end up with an extra twenty minutes before my classes." She pulled out her potions book, "I'd like you to work by Longbottom today, we're working on a Shrinking Solution." She looked up at her father as she set up her cauldron, "What don't want any shrunken heads?"<p>

She smirked as he raised his eyebrow in her direction. "No. I don't. If you keep him from turning it toxic, I'll bring Julie to Hogsmeade on your birthday and we'll do a nice lunch." She gave her father a mock-salute and said, "Yes sir!" He didn't have time to question her behavior as other students began to show up for the lesson however. Hermione spotted Neville the moment he entered the dungeon and waved him over. "Here Neville. Take the desk next to mine. I don't want to sit by Harry and Ron today." She patted the table top by her, and the nervous, pudgy boy gratefully began setting up his equipment. She hummed thoughtfully as she opened her book to the page number her father had written on the board. "We're doing the Shrinking Solution. Cool." She said cheerily, as the boy beside her nervously went over the recipe in his own book, pretending she hadn't already known.

Half an hour into class, the door to the dungeon opened and Hermione looked up just as Draco stepped into the class, his arm still bandaged and now in a sling. She was concerned for about five seconds until Pansy's simpering voice alerted her to the fact that it was an act. "How is it Draco?" The blonde girl asked dramatically, stopping her cousin as he walked past her desk, "Does it hurt much?" Hermione rolled her eyes as the Slytherin boy sighed and grimaced, "Yeah." She turned back to the daisy roots she was chopping when she saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle. He could be _such_ a ham. "Psst Neville, not so thin." She whispered to the boy beside her, whom had been cutting his own daisy roots improperly.

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Draco took an open seat by Harry and Ron, where she normally would have been sitting, and her father casually instructed the Slytherin students to settle down. She let out a snort of laughter, which she covered with a cough, as Ron was forced to chop Draco's roots, and Harry was forced to peel his shrivelfig. Her attention was drawn back to Neville as she heard a plunk. She whipped her head around to see what had happened and saw him ladle out a now empty vial. "Was that the-" She was cut off as her father stepped their way. She watched nervously as her father sneered at the now orange potion.

"Orange, Longbottom," Severus said, ladling some of the ruined potion up, allowing it to splash back into the cauldron. "Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't I say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen would be needed? Didn't I plainly state that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand Longbottom?" Hermione cursed under her breath as the pudgy boy beside her looked ready to burst into tears. Her father shot a glare at her and caught himself just before he could scold her for her language. "Please sir -" She said quickly, "please, I could help Neville put it right -" He raised an eyebrow at her, before putting on his usual sneer of contempt for the class and said, quite coldly, "I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger."

Of course, she knew he didn't really mean to hurt her feelings, "Longbottom, at the end of the lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly." He swept away from their desks and Neville turned to her with tears in his eyes, "Help me!" He moaned. She nodded and shifted her stool closer. "First, fish out one of the rat spleens, then turn up your fire five degrees." She hissed out of the corner of her mouth, while adding the last of her own ingredients.

Her eyes flickered over to Neville every few seconds, and when she saw him place the ruined spleen on the table, she smirked. Now, with a little luck, there'd be no more problems if the rest of his ingredients were precise. The book clearly stated that the amount of leech juice was not exact. "Now, everything else must be measured perfectly Neville. Don't panic, it'll be fine." She continued giving him instructions as her father instructed them to let the potions sit.

Ten minutes before the end of class Severus strode over Neville's desk and picked the toad up off the top. "Everyone gather round." He said, sneering down at the now green potion, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole." He dipped a spoon into the potion and brought it to the same height as Trevor the toad, "If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned." Hermione watched her father force the potion into the toad's mouth, feeling nearly as nervous as Neville himself. The class was silent a moment, and there was a soft _pop_ as Trevor turned into a wriggling tadpole. The Gryffindor's burst into applause, and Hermione smirked at the sour look on her father's face. He obviously hadn't expected her to be able to help Neville fix the potion without starting over.

As soon as Trevor was given an antidote and was croaking on Neville's desk, her father promptly gave her a dirty look, "Five points from Gryffindor." The applause stopped at once, and the Slytherins snickered, "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed." She hurried out of the room with Harry and Ron, until the crowd thinned out, ignoring their ranting about her father's behavior. She ducked behind an old tapestry and pulled out her time-turner.

She rushed out of her Ancient Runes class a minute later, and detoured so she would come up the dungeon stairs behind Harry and Ron. She skidded to a halt at the bottom of the stairs as Harry and Ron spun round on their heels looking for her. "There she is." Harry said as his eyes fell on her. She clutched her bag to her chest, panting, and climbed up the steps quickly, "How'd you do that?" Ron asked when she finally made it up to where they were standing. "What?" She asked innocently, trying to hide her uneven breathing. "One minute you were behind us, the next you were back at the bottom of the stairs again." "What?" She felt her bag begin to tear, but ignored it to continue to feign confusion, "Oh - I had to go back for something. Oh no -" Her bag finally split at the seam and spilled her books and parchment everywhere.

She dove to pick them up as the bell chimed through the castle, signaling that they had lunch now. "You guys go ahead. I need to fix this. Go on, now!" She shooed them away and let out a sigh of relief as they turned the corner and vanished. She piled her books together and pulled her wand out of her robes. "Seems you'll be needing a new bag." She jumped nearly a foot when she heard her father's voice. She looked to make sure he was the only one around, "You scared me half to death, dad." She whispered the last word, and set about fixing her bag.

Severus chuckled uncharacteristically as he watched his daughter mend her bag. "I'll see if Julie can find you something with a little more room." He gave her a hand up as she shouldered her bag and sighed, "There's nothing wrong with my bag. I just haven't gotten the extending charm to work yet." She dusted her robes off as they walked towards the great hall slowly. "As I expected. That is a seventh year charm, and there has never been a third year capable of doing it." He gave her the same sideways look he had in class, as if challenging her to prove him wrong. "Oh I'll do it alright. I'm going to be able to protect everyone. And to do that, I need to push myself." She parted ways from her father with a wave, as she detoured to the library before lunch.

Severus watched her go, his eyes softening slightly "Don't push yourself too far." He said quietly, not seeing the door just behind him close softly. He turned and strode to the great hall, making a mental note to send an owl to Julie about Hermione's book bag. Maybe the crazy muggle could talk some sense into her.

Remus Lupin pressed himself flat against his office door, wondering what he had just witnessed. He was almost certain that young girl had been wearing a Gryffindor tie, and he hadn't seen Severus Snape speak amicably with a Gryffindor since they were in fifth year together. He ran his hands through his scraggly brown hair and left his office. He'd have to keep an eye out for any more strange occurrences such as this.

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><p>Lupin strolled into the staffroom a few minutes before the end of the lunch hour, intending to check on his lesson idea for the day, and stumbled upon a most peculiar sight. Severus Snape was glowering at Charity Burbage, with a deadly hate. "Ah Professor Lupin, good, we could use an unbiased opinion here." Professor Burbage said, shifting her beady eyes to him, and he couldn't help remembering a time when she had been his own Professor. He felt Severus' glare shift to him, and he tried to back out of the room, but old Charity stepped forward and latched onto the arm of his robes. "You've met that nasty little Granger girl haven't you?" She demanded, "She's nasty spoilt, isn't she? Always spouting off the answers to everything, running about like she owns the place with that Potter boy."<p>

Lupin cleared his throat awkwardly as the stout witch turned her glare to him, "Er, well no. Actually I haven't really had the pleasure. I've heard she's quite brilliant though." He let out a breath of relief as Snape's glare dwindled slightly, and he ventured to guess that Miss Granger was the young girl he'd seen speaking with the potions master in the halls; and also the same young girl from the train, if she was friends with Harry.

Charity huffed indignantly, "Oh she's spoilt alright. Just you wait till you have her in class." The stout witch left the room, snarling under her breath. Silence reigned between the two men until a bell chimed through the castle, signaling the end of lunch. "I just came to check -" "It's still there. Leave before you're tardy _Professor_." Severus hissed, and the new Professor exited the room swiftly. The weary potions master sunk into a chair by the fire, and glared into the dancing flames. Ever since Hermione had been petrified the year before, Charity had hounded him to send the girl her way, as though he were holding his daughter against her will, and now, _now_ the bipolar little witch had spent three classes with her over the last week, and had verbally attacked him for allowing her to be spoiled. It seemed to him, that Burbage had forgotten what her own daughter had been like at Hermione's age.

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><p>Hermione strolled into the Defense Against the Dark Arts class room beside Harry and Ron, brushing off their questions about why she had taken so long to catch up, and she anxiously tapped her quill against the blank piece of parchment she had pulled out of her bag. She had spent the course of three lunch hours trying to perform the Undetectable Extension Charm on her book bag, with no success. She wondered if perhaps the material of the bag itself was the problem. The door to the class opened with a loud creak and the class turned to see their smiling Professor. True, the smile was vague and lacking, but at least he attempted to put the class at ease. "Good afternoon, would you please put all your books back in your bags and follow me."<p>

Hermione wasn't the only one feeling apprehensive as the class tucked their books back into their bags. "Today's will be a practical lesson. You will only need your wands." "You don't reckon he's going to pull a Lockhart, do you?" Ron whispered to Harry beside her. Lupin led them out of the class, and down the corridor. The class watched with interest as they came across Peeves the Poltergeist, cramming bubble gum into the key hole of a broom closet. As soon as Lupin was two feet away the poltergeist spun around to face the class and cackled gleefully, "Loony, loopy, Lupin." He chanted over and over.

The class looked up to their Professor to see how he would react to the display of disrespect, but they found he was still smiling. "I'd take that gum out of the key hole if I were you Peeves, Mr. Filch won't be able to get to his brooms." Peeves ignored Lupin's warning and blew a raspberry at the new Professor. The shabby looking Professor sighed and pulled out his wand, "This little spell is dead useful. So please watch closely." He lifted his wand so it was level with his shoulders, and the whole class watched in rapt attention. "_Waddiwasi!_" The gum shot out of the keyhole and up Peeve's nose like a cork, sending the Poltergeist spiraling off down the corridor, cursing. Hermione carefully tucked the spell away in her mind, and made a mental reminder to look it up later. The class, now excited, praised Lupin as they continued along and were led into the nearly unoccupied staff room. Hermione, forgetting herself for a moment, grinned at the sight of her father, and was nudged in the ribs on either side by both Harry and Ron. "Ow...what was that for?"

Severus watched the class file in and his eyes fell on his daughter, who grinned at him, and was then elbowed by the dynamic duo. He sneered and looked away, spotting Lupin attempt to close the door. "Leave it open." He said, removing himself from his seat by the fireplace, "I'd rather not witness this." As he reached the doorway, he spun back around on his heel, "Perhaps no one's warned you, Lupin. Your class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you don't entrust him with anything difficult, unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear." Severus caught the look of pride on his daughters face as the rest of the class recoiled in disgust.

Lupin raised his eyebrows at his fellow Professor and caught the smile twitching on his face, assuming that the potions master was proud of his own brilliance for insulting two students at once. "Actually, I was hoping he would assist me with the first bit, and I am sure he will perform it admirably." The implied rudeness hung in the air with the declaration and Hermione scowled as her father left, slamming the door behind him. "Right, now then." The shabby Professor ushered them to the back of the room, where a wardrobe stood. It wobbled violently and banged hard against the wall. A few of the girls in the class shrieked, "Nothing to worry about, there's a Boggart in there." Lupin said calmly, however the words did very little to ease most of the class.

Hermione's eyes locked onto the handle of the wardrobe, her mind quickly reciting the chapter she had read on the shape-shifting creatures. "Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," Professor Lupin said, rattling off a list of places they could be found. "So the first question we must ask is; what _is_ a Boggart?" Her hand shot into the air, though her eyes never moved from the wardrobe, "It's a shape-shifter." She recited, "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will scare us most." Professor Lupin nodded at her answer, and she could practically feel herself glowing as he spoke again. "Couldn't have said it better myself!" He went on to tell them about how the Boggart was sitting shapeless inside the wardrobe, and not a single person had ever seen a Boggarts true form. "This means we have an advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

The dark haired boy beside her faltered and she put up her hand quickly. However it seemed Harry had actually been paying attention and he correctly guess that their large number would be their advantage. "Precisely." Lupin said, his lips quirking into an actual smile, as he told them a story, about a Boggart that had once become so confused it had turned into half a slug. "The charm that repels a Boggart is nice and simple. Let's practice shall we? Repeat after me: _Riddikulus_!" "_Riddikulus_." The class said together.

"Excellent. That's the easy part. What really finishes the Boggart off is laughter." Lupin ushered Neville forward now, and placed his hand on the pudgy boys shoulder. "Now Neville, what is it you fear most?" He asked kindly. Hermione watched the pale boy attempt to answer and frowned. The only thing she knew of that he feared was her father. This wouldn't end well. "P-Professor Snape." Neville said quietly, on his second attempt to answer. She listened as Lupin gave Neville instructions which involved picturing his grandmother's clothes. No, this would _not_ end well.

"Everyone picture what you fear most, and think of a way to make it funny." Lupin called out, and she closed her eyes. What did she fear most? '_Mother. I fear meeting her and finding her evil._' She thought sadly. What kind of child feared their dead mother? She cleared that question from her mind, and thought hard on how to make her mother funny. Maybe, if she were bald? "Everyone ready?" Lupin's voice drew her out of her thoughts, and she nodded along with the rest of the class, even though she wasn't sure she was ready.

"Alright, step forward Neville, and everyone else move back. Once Neville's dealt with the Boggart it should turn its attention to each of us. I will call you up for your turns." He pointed his wand at the door of the wardrobe, "On three. One - Two - Three!" The wardrobe burst open and a dark Boggart copy of her father stalked towards Neville, a nasty sneer on its face. "_Riddikulus_!" Neville cried out after his first failed attempt to speak, and the Boggart stumbled as it was forced into a long green dress. Hermione looked away quickly; hoping that one day, the image of her father in drag would vanish from her mind.

"Parvati! Forward!" Hermione watched her roommate dash forward and the Boggart transformed into a mummy. The brunette watched anxiously as several more members of the class were called forward and the Boggart transformed into a Banshee, a rat, a bloody eyeball, a severed hand, and a giant spider. The Boggart turned to Harry beside her, and she mentally prepared herself for her turn next, until Lupin called out and the Boggart turned away, transfiguring into a very strange orb. '_That looks like a moon...but why would he be afraid of the moon?_' She wondered as Neville stepped up to face the Boggart one last time. The class had one last spilt second view of her father in a dress before the Boggart evaporated with Neville's laughter.

"Excellent! Neville, excellent! Five points to everyone who tackled the Boggart, ten for Neville for doing it twice, and five each for Harry and Hermione." Lupin cried out as the class broke into applause. "For homework, read and summarize the chapter on Boggarts for me please." He dismissed them from the room and Hermione followed behind Harry and Ron sulking. She wished aloud to have had a go at the creature, and Ron quickly cut her down for it.

Hermione fell behind as the class walked away, glaring at the back of Ron's head as he laughed with Harry and Dean at Seamus' wild re-enactment of the boggart version of her father. She felt tears burn at the corners of her eyes as the red head's words echoed through her mind. "_What would it have been for you? A piece of homework that only got nine out of ten_?" She slammed her fist into the hard stone wall beside her, and grunted in pain. She took a separate path back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room to pick up her book bag.

"Arse hole. My life doesn't revolve around school work." She grumbled under her breath as she walked, rubbing her now bruised wand hand with her left hand. She was the last to make it back to the classroom and she picked up her book bag, only to drop it when her hand protested painfully. "Son of a-" She dropped down onto her knees, as her bag had split again from the force of the landing, and gathered up the books quickly. "Miss Granger, need a hand?" She yelped at the sudden voice behind her, and bonked her head against the desk as she scrambled to her feet. "P-Professor Lupin! I - no. No, I don't need help. My bag just split is all. I'm fine."

She pulled her wand out of her robes and her bag repaired itself instantly. "My, you _are_ a bright one, aren't you?" Lupin said, watching her pull the bag up onto her shoulder successfully this time, and his eyes landed on her black and purple wand hand. "What's happened to your hand Miss Granger?" Hermione let the bruised hand fall to her side, so the worst of the bruises would be covered by her sleeve. "I tripped is all. I need to go; I'm overdue for Arithmancy with Professor Vector." She hurried out of the class room and pulled out her time-turner as she ducked into an empty class.

Filch was passing through the hall when Hermione dashed past him, and Lupin stepped out of his class, looking mildly confused. "Ah, you're not having trouble with the girl, are you?" The caretaker asked, turning to face the younger man. "'Cause if you are, just pass it along to Severus. He'll set her straight, always does." He hobbled off without a reply from the shabby young Professor. Lupin watched for a moment, before spinning on his heel and heading for the dungeons. That wasn't a bad idea.

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><p>Severus sat behind his desk, staring blankly at the disinterested man before him. Lupin had barged into his office, and seated himself without waiting to be acknowledged. "I hear you're in charge of anything concerning Miss Granger." Lupin said casually, fixing the dark haired, seething man with a guarded look. Severus sneered and glared back, "Why you think this is any of your concern -" "I happened to notice an injury to her hand, looked like she might of been fighting." Lupin interrupted, watching for a slight tick, or any sign that the potions master actually <em>cared<em> for the girl. He saw nothing.

Severus kept his face still, "Very well, I will address the matter later." He picked up a quill lying on his desk, "I am busy at the moment. Leave." They stared each other down, and Lupin conceded. "Very well. See you at dinner, Severus." He left the room quickly, and as soon as the door closed behind him, Severus slumped down in his chair. He would have to be much more careful. He stood from his desk and retrieved an old glass bottle from the cabinet behind his desk, and poured himself a half glass of firewhiskey.

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><p>End chapter five!<p>

So sorry, meant to post this yesterday but I bargained my way into a new phone and sent the day unabke to tear myself away from it.

I'm a little sad my review numbers have dropped, but the ones I am getting are all so nice that it's really not bothering me. I'm nearly done with Year Three, let's put it this way, they're in the shrieking shack and lupin's about to burst in. Although I am seriously debating Snape being outed as Hermione's father in the shrieking shack, and him maybe not getting knocked out. Disarmed yes, knocked out no.

Ooooh and here's a hint, in this chapter, Hermione wonders what her boggart would be; she's WAY off. BUT I can't say any more than that because it will ruin my delicious twist in the christmas chapter!

Also, I'm thuroghly enjoying the way I've portrayed Sname and Hermiones relationship in this chapter; the appearance infront of the class is the same, but the feelings aren't hurt. There's more of it coming up, also the next chapter will include Hermione's birthday,and some more Dramione sweetness.


	6. A Birthday To Be Remembered

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Six: A birthday to be remembered

Disclaimer: You already know

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><p>The nineteenth of September mercifully fell on a sunny Saturday, and Hermione dressed brightly that morning, after waking up with Crookshanks curled beside her. "What do you think Crookshanks, blue or green?" She held up two sweaters, and the cat just blinked up at her. "It's my birthday, work with me Crookshanks." She said impatiently, and fluffy ginger cat flicked his tail towards the green sweater. She tugged it on gratefully, as the dorm room was rather cold that morning. She pulled on a pair of trainers and pulled her bushy hair into a ponytail. Slinging her purse over her shoulder, and tucking the time-turner safely beneath her sweater, she left her dorm quietly, and snuck down the stairs to the common room. She came face to face with the Weasley twins at the bottom of the stairs.<p>

"Hermione!" Fred greeted her gleefully, and she tried to step around him, only to be stopped as George threw his arm around her shoulder. "Where's our favourite little snake slinking off to so early on a Saturday morning?" She narrowed her eyes at the use of the pet name they had bestowed on her. "I'm going to Hogsmeade, my supplies are running short and Dumbledore's granted me special permissions." She lied smoothly, managing to duck out from under George's arm. "We just thought you might like a chance to see what we see on our little map." Fred's voice made her pause in her escape.

On the one hand, it would be useful, to know just what the map supposedly referred to her as, but on the other, they could be making the whole thing up. Perhaps they were just toying with her. "Alright then." She said coolly, deciding to remain calm, and impassive no matter the outcome. Fred pulled out the old parchment the same way he had in the Leaky Cauldron, and she saw that this time, it was filled with little dots of ink labeled with names. Her eyes followed Fred's finger until it landed on three little figures in Gryffindor tower. "This is us." He said, unnecessarily, and she felt her jaw drop.

Beside her ink dot, was a much longer version of her name. Hermione Jean Kathrine _Snape_ Granger. "Bloody - fuck - shit!" She swore, the colour draining completely from her face. "That's funny, that's what I said, isn't it Fred?" George hummed casually, plucking the parchment out of his twins' hands. Fred nodded, grinning widely. "Why yes, I do believe so." Hermione felt her eye twitch violently, "How...how does it know?" She asked after a moment, as the twins stepped back to give her space, and look her over from head to toe. "It never lies. Says so the first time you ever use it. Although we don't see it." Fred explained as George once again stepped closer, this time to examine her face.

"You don't look a thing like the great bat." He said, turning her face back on forth with his hand on her chin. "No hooked nose; straight teeth, though they are a bit on the large side, bushy hair." Fred stepped in close now too, and looked her straight in the eyes. "George, would you look at that. Same eyes. Except on her, they don't make want to jump from the astronomy tower." "Ah you're right!" She jerked her face away and took a long step back. "So now what? What are you going to do?" She asked coldly, removing her wand from her purse. The twins laughed at the gesture and gave her big grins. "Nothing. We just thought you should know," Fred started, "That we know what you don't think anyone knows." George finished. "And - and you won't tell anyone? Not a soul? And no one else knows?" She asked, lowering her wand nervously. "Not a soul, we promise." They declared in unison.

She let out a great sigh of relief and fell to her knees. "Oh thank Merlin, I-" "But Harry and ickle Ronnie may figure it out on their own, once they get the map." She slammed her fist into the floor, and for a moment, the twins could see much of her father in her. "Damn it. Ok. I think I can work around this. I - Thank you, for pointing it out." She scrambled back to her feet and tucked away her wand. It was better after all to be prepared, and have them confront her now, as opposed to leaving her to fend off Harry and Ron confused and without proper cover. "I need to go." She left the common room, but heard George call out in a slightly raised voice, "He's already waiting in the great hall for you. Pacing around in circles with the prat."

She ran the whole way down to the great hall, not stopping until she spotted her father. He raised his eyebrow at her, as if to comment on her tardiness, and she held her hands up defensively. "I got held up in the common room." She huffed, trying to catch her breath. "Very well. Let's go, we need to catch the knight bus." She had no idea what that was, but she followed her father and Draco out of the great hall, "Happy birthday." The blonde boy said quietly, handing her a wrapped box with the hand he didn't have bandaged. "Thanks." She said brightly, ripping open the wrapper.

Inside of the box was a charm bracelet. She pulled it out of the box and clasped it around her wrist brightly, "It's brilliant! Dad, look!" She hurried forward a few steps and held up her wrist to show off the jewelry, and Severus smirked as he took in the charms. There were several, including a snake and a lioness. "That's quite nice." He said as she fell back into pace with the boy behind him. He snuck a glance behind him and saw her throw her arms around the blonde boy, and plant a kiss on his cheek. He nearly choked on his own spit as he directed his eyes forward again. Damn it, they were getting _much_ too close.

Hermione and Draco were, thankfully, no longer blushing over her display of affection when they reached Hogsmeade and Severus pulled out his wand. There was a loud, echoing bang and a purple double decker bus screeched to a halt in front of them "'Ello, welcome to the Knight Bus, I'm Stan Shunpike, an' this 'ere's Ern." A lanky boy with a face full of acne said enthusiastically, gesturing to a hunched old man in the driver's seat. "Where are you lot headed today?" He stepped aside to allow them on and Severus replied curtly, "Spinner's End, town square, we will be picking up another passenger and returning here." "Right-o, on you get. That'll be five Galleons."

Once her father handed the coins to the slightly obnoxious teenager, they found seats at the back of the empty bus. "Hold on to something." Severus instructed Hermione and Draco as the bus got ready to take off, and they just barely managed to clamp down on their seats as the bus shot off like rocket. Hermione, once she got used to the force of the bus, watched the windows with wonder as the landscapes flew by. "Hey, that's my old house!" She said excitedly, pointing to an old farm house, which she had lived in until she was five, on the outskirts of a large town.

It took them an hour to reach Spinner's End, despite the speed they were travelling at, and Hermione bounded off the bus to retrieve her sister. "Holy hell -" Julie let out a low whistle as she was pulled onto the double decker bus, "It came out of _nowhere._ Amazing!" Hermione led her to the back where her father and Draco were chatting amicably. "Hello Severus, Draco. What's happened to your arm?" Everyone looked at Draco's still-bandaged right arm, and the boy flushed in embarrassment. "Hippogriff attack." He mumbled, and Julie was about to ask what exactly a Hippogriff was, when the Knight Bus shot off like a cork, sending both her and Hermione to the floor with the force.

Severus extended his arm down and Julie latched on so he could help pull her up, as Hermione crawled to her chair. "Bloody hell." Julie muttered, settling into a chair of her own, brushing her long brown hair out of her bright green eyes. "Was _not_ expecting that." She cracked a grin and Hermione rolled her eyes. "You take everything _too_ well, you nut job." The now-thirteen-year-old girl said, sticking her tongue out at her older sister, whose fingers were laced with her fathers.

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><p>When they stepped back out into Hogsmeade, it was nearing time for lunch. Hermione and Draco trailed closely behind Severus and Julie, as they headed for the Three Broomsticks, a cozy looking local pub. "This is the only all-magical dwelling in England." Severus explained to the overly excited muggle beside him, who was staring into the shop windows with awe, the same way she did when she had been brought to Diagon Ally. "Can we go to Honeydukes later?" Hermione asked as they passed the massive sweets shop. "After lunch." Her father replied, pushing open the door to the Three Broomsticks, ushering the three of them inside.<p>

It was nearly dead inside the pub as they took a table near the back of the quaint room. A stunning waitress swept over to their table to take their orders, and Severus took it upon himself to order a butterbeer for the younger two, and a glass of Firewhiskey each for himself and Julie. "What's butterbeer?" Hermione asked as the blonde bar maid walked away from the table. "A rather popular drink among teenagers." He answered, opening a menu to browse the options for lunch. "You'll like it." Draco said eagerly, selecting his own lunch option.

They stepped back out into the sunny street an hour later, and Julie looped her arm through Hermione's. "I hear you need a better school bag, kiddo." She said with a grin, dragging the younger girl away from Severus and Draco, "Severus told me there's a shop just around the corner." Hermione let herself be towed along, and into a brightly lit shop, "Er...Julie, do you even have any -" "Don't be silly. Of course I do!" Julie cut her off and raced over to a wall lined with bags of every size and colour. "How about this one!" She pointed to a bag very similar to a regular back pack, but Hermione shook her head.

"So, I trust this year is going better, I haven't received any angry owls yet." Julie said casually, browsing the wall, "Yeah. I think I've just grown to understand him better." Hermione replied, shaking her head as Julie pointed to another bag. "Understandable. You're more mature than I've ever seen, always have been for your age." Hermione blushed and smiled at her older sister. "What sort of bag _do_ you want then?" The older brunette asked as the thirteen year old turned down another idea.

"I'd rather a shoulder bag. I'm going to adjust it magically anyway. I won't need so many pockets." She carefully selected a black leather bag, trimmed with green, and looked down at the price tag. "Er...that's expensive. How much do you have, Julie?" The older brunette came over and examined the bag thoughtfully, "I got fifteen Galleons. How about we go half and half?" The bag was a whopping twenty Galleons. "Deal." They paid for the bag and left the shop, "Come on, I promised Severus we'd meet him at the sweetshop." They walked down to Honeydukes and found Draco and her father waiting out front, the former looking eager to go inside.

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><p>Hermione strolled back into the castle later that afternoon, her new bag weighed down with sweets, quills, parchment and a new book titled <em>How to hide things you don't want found<em>, which had a whole chapter on the extension charm she was struggling with. Draco parted ways with her at the front doors of the school, and she made her way toward Gryffindor Tower. She wanted to at least try and charm her new bag before her father returned from taking Julie back home.

She snuck up to her dorm room, which was thankfully empty, and emptied her new bag onto her bed. She flipped open the book and quickly flipped through the chapter she needed, before taking her wand out and tapping it on the leather. "_Infinitus._" She said firmly, grabbing up the bag and stuffing her arm into it. She shrieked in joy as her whole arm disappeared into the bag. "_Accio Hogwarts: A history_." She summoned her favourite book and dropped it into the bag. This would be the final test. "_Accio Hogwarts: A history_." She repeated, and the book flew into her hand from the depths of her bag.

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><p>The weeks passed and October fell on the castle with cold rain and wind. Word had travelled quickly about the Boggart lesson, and Hermione found herself losing twice as many points as usual in potions when she assisted Neville. She sighed and found a seat in the library, far in the back corners where no other students ventured. She collapsed against the wooden table and buried her fingers into her bushier-than-ever hair. She was exhausted. Inside and out. She lived through each day nearly four times just to attend her classes and do her homework.<p>

Worst of all her classes, though Divination was a close second, was Muggle Studies. Her grandmother, Charity Burbage, _Professor_ Burbage, hated her. If possible, she lost more points for answering questions in that class then she did in potions for the first two years. She'd tried speaking to her father about the matter, but every time she found him on his own, Professor Lupin would come barreling around a corner or out of a classroom, and she'd have to keep walking as though she was just passing by.

She had only just made up with Ron as well, after his snide comment in their first week. She let out a heavy sigh and forced herself to sit upright and retrieve a quill and parchment from her bag. She scratched out a letter for Julie, detailing as much of her days as she was allowed, and pulled a vial of Pepper-up potion out of her robes to take a swig. Just as she went to put it back, she heard a very familiar drawling voice call her name. "Hermione." She turned around in her chair and came face to face with Draco -whom still had his arm bandaged- and she smiled dully. "Hey Draco."

He took an empty seat beside her and dropped his bag to the floor. "You sick?" He asked, eyeing the vial she tucked into her robes. "No, it's just a booster. I've missed a few meals and dad got worried." She folded her arms over her letter to Julie and laid her head down, "How's the arm?" She asked with a yawn, and he flexed his fingers to show her they were all bending correctly again. "Better. Got no grip though. Dunno what I'll do for the Quidditch match, can't even stay on my broom." She nodded knowingly and shifted her head so her chin was propped up on her wrists. "Guess you'll think twice before ignoring safety tips in class then, won't you?"

He chuckled beside her and nodded. "Yeah." His slate grey eyes drifted down to her wrist and landed on her charm bracelet, and a contented smile spread over his face. "I was wondering -" He hesitated and she turned to face him again, one eyebrow rose in question, "- er...would you want to grab a butterbeer in Hogsmeade? On Halloween?" She smiled softly, "I'd like that. I'll have to find a way to ditch Ron." His face fell at this, "You're going with Weasel?" She frowned in return, "Not exactly. We're leaving at the same time, and we're supposed to stay in groups because of Black being sighted in the area. I really don't want to spend the day with that idiot just because Harry's not going."

"Oh, so you'd rather be going with Potter, is that it?" He suddenly got very angry and raised his voice, and she rolled her eyes at him. "Don't get your knickers in a twist. I wouldn't want to spend the day with just Harry either. I can only really stand them together. I'd rather just go with you, but the other Slytherin's all hate me now, remember?" She sat up tall and glared defiantly at him, until he looked away. "Right. Well, don't bother then." He stood and collected his bag from the floor, "Draco, calm down. Why are you so mad all of a sudden?" She forced herself to her feet as he started to walk away, and she crumpled her letter for Julie and pegged him in the back of the head with it.

"Oi, don't ignore me!" She shouted, and he spun around to glare at her, "Sod off, mudblood." He hissed, before whisking away. She slumped back into her chair and felt tears of frustration slide down her face. "What the hell's his problem anyway?" She grumbled, summoning the crumpled letter back to her, and picking up her bag. She stormed off to the owlery so she could send her letter before bed.

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><p>The next day was pretty disastrous. Ron was, once again, not speaking to her. Crookshanks had made a go at Scabbers just before bed, and as a result the red head would not even look at her except to glare. Herbology had been a nightmare and she had never been so happy to leave the green houses and go to Muggle Studies. Though as she waited to get in to Transfiguration before lunch with Harry and Ron, they came across Lavender Brown, sobbing over a letter. Hermione felt bad for the blonde girl for all of thirty seconds, as she cried about her pet bunny dying at home. Then she wailed about Trelawney's prediction, and it being the sixteenth of October.<p>

She tried to set the crying girl straight gently, but Ron burst in tactlessly, accusing her of not caring about other people's pets. Hermione dutifully ignored him for the whole of the class, and only spoke in order to try and talk Harry out of trying to get to Hogsmeade. However Ron egged the dark haired boy on and she was ignored.

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><p>On a rainy day nearing the end of October, Hermione was seated quite comfortably in the library, <em>How to hide<em> _things you don't want found_ propped open in her lap. She often found herself using the time-turner to allow her time to study peacefully, while she was attending more than one class. She had cleared the plan with Madam Pince in the first week of classes when she had fallen behind in her studies.

The thirteen year old sighed and flipped another page, and as her eyes fell on the new spell, she gasped. A Fidilus charm. Wherein a powerful charm is placed, usually on a building, and the secret is kept within another person's body. "_While the secret keeper is alive, and silent, the dwelling the charm has been placed upon is impossible to find._" She read it aloud, in a raspy whisper, and her eyes flickered over to the incantation, which was desperately tricky. She let out a low whistle, "To think, the _perfect_ protection." "Only if the secret keeper can be trusted." She spun around in her chair and met the bemused gaze of Lupin.

"Professor?" She snapped the book shut in her lap and gave the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher an apprehensive look. The shabby man leaned up against the nearest book shelf and gave her a half smile. "The Fidilus is only as strong as the will of the secret keeper, Miss Granger." He repeated, and she nodded awkwardly. "Oh. Yes. I suppose it would be." She willed her face to become impassive as she saw the look which crossed Lupin's face.

"Forgive me, Miss Granger, but I have stumbled upon some rather odd knowledge concerning yourself, perhaps you would be so kind as to clear it up for me?" He gave her a charming, wolfish smile, and she squared off her shoulders defensively. "I may well try." She replied keeping her eyes fixed on the Professor's face. "Firstly, it came to my attention last month, in the first week, that anything concerning you should be sent the way of Professor Snape."

She breathed in sharply, and promptly cursed herself for being surprised. Lockhart had been told the exact same the year before. "Your question being?" She asked, trying to cover for her near loss of indifference. "My question being that you are not in Slytherin, and as well, you are a muggleborn, are you not?" He pushed himself away from the book shelf and stepped closer, "So why the particular interest in you?"

She bit her tongue before replying, "Professor Snape saved mine and my sister's lives not this summer, but last, and my father requested of Professor Snape to keep an eye on me here." She recited the excuse as she had in her mind several times. "He watches over me as a favor to my father." She very nearly chuckled as she finished speaking, but she managed to cover it with a small cough.

Professor Lupin shifted from one foot to another, and then sat down in the empty chair beside hers, towering over her with his lean form. "I have also wondered..." He trailed off and she shifted back from him. "...If, perhaps, you may not be muggleborn at all." She swallowed hard and gripped her book tightly, but tried to keep her face straight. "Of course I-" "Miss Granger." Her head snapped to the side and she very nearly sighed in relief. Her father was standing by the book shelves. Lupin leaned back in his chair and a smirk drifted over his face lazily. "Ah, Severus, we were just talking about you." He summoned another chair and motioned for the potions master to be seated.

"How nice. Miss Granger needs to come with me now, however." He said coldly, ignoring the new chair, and fixing his dark eyes on his daughter. She stood up abruptly and retrieved her bag, "Yes Professor." She gratefully walked over to his side, and shivered as Lupin's eyes trailed her movements. Severus placed his hand on her shoulder, and very clearly informed her, and Lupin, that she was needed by her father.

He led her out of the library, aware of Lupin's eyes watching them sternly. Once they were in the hall, he gripped her shoulder tighter, and she turned to look up at him. They walked on in silence until they reached the safety of his office. As soon as the door was secured behind him, Severus brought a hand up to rub at his temples and sighed, aggravated. He had merely gone to the library to see his daughter, and he finds the blasted Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher interrogating her.

"He was checking our story." He said after a moment, dropping his hand to his side as he began pacing the room. "I expected him to do this. He and his blasted friends never could leave anything concerning me be." His voice dropped to a growl and he slammed his fist against the wall angrily.

Hermione jumped slightly at the display of anger, "Don't speak with him alone again. He can't be trusted." Severus said coldly as he finally moved to take a seat behind his desk, only to be stopped as his daughter wrapped her arms around his middle. "I won't." She whispered, stepping back after a moment.

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><p>End chapter six!<p>

I have a fun fact for you all!

As I was writting this story, and I hit dry spots, I opened new documents and wrote up the parts wherein Lupin is being crafty and saved them with title's like 'Lupins eyes' and 'lupins ears' and 'lupins nose'. Yeah, it was just something to keep me amused while I wrote.

Anyway, thanks for the reviews!


	7. Halloween And Hinkypunks

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Seven: Halloween and Hinkypunks

Disclaimer: You know it by now

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><p>On Halloween morning, Hermione lay awake in her bed as the sun slowly rose over the horizon, Crookshanks was not beside her. In her mind she went over the night in the library with Draco, again and again, wondering what had happened. In the month since (for her, at least, thanks to the Time-Turner,) she had been unable to think of much else. The only possible idea that fit the situation, that she could see, was that Draco had been asking her for a <em>date<em>, and become jealous over Harry and Ron. But this was ridiculous. Draco didn't like her like _that_; they were only friends, right? '_But then, why do you keep kissing him?_' Her mind asked, and she stubbornly reminded herself that she only kissed him on the cheek. She had done that to both Harry and Ron too.

However, her mind drew up the memory of the end of year feast in June. She and Draco had very nearly kissed for real that morning. She shook her head violently and stood from her bed. It was pointless to think on it. Even if, somehow, they liked each other that way, Harry and Ron would never get along with Draco. And Draco would never stop calling them names. She dressed warmly, and tucked her remaining money into her bottomless bag. She was surprised to find, when she made her way down to the common room, that she was not the only one awake. Fred and George were also up. "Good morning, little snake." They greeted her as cheerfully as they usually did, and she ignored her pet name.

"Good morning." She replied, sitting in a chair by the fire, not too far from their couch. "Today is the day." Fred said suddenly, making her jump, "Yes, I agree. Time to pass the tools along for the next generation of trouble makers. Or maybe not. You never know." George said, waving about the map they had showed her before. She winced at the thought that by this time tomorrow, Harry and Ron could both be angry with her. She waited silently for Harry and Ron to come down for breakfast, staring into the fire sadly.

"Hey!" She broke out of her thoughts a while later to the sound of Ron's voice, and realized she'd been in the same spot for well over an hour. "Hey. Sorry, was still half asleep." She stood from her chair and followed the boys out of the common room, promising to buy Harry lots of cool things from the village. "Don't worry about me," He said as they walked into the great hall, which was crowded with excited students.

Hermione watched herself leave the school with Ron, and sighed. She was aging herself unnecessarily today, but it was worth it. Harry was preoccupied, as was Ron. She would be free to spend the morning in the dungeons. She carefully slipped away from the entrance hall and snuck down the least-used staircase to the dungeon area, which would bring her two corridors away from the potions classroom. Feeling particularly smug with herself for being very Slytherin today, she knocked on her father's door and met his bewildered face with a wide smile. "Hullo."

Severus knew he ought to be shocked by the appearance of his daughter, but somehow found his surprise to be lacking. "Have a nice day in the village?" He asked dryly, stepping aside to allow her into his office. She took a seat in front of the fireplace and pulled out an undoubtedly new book, "It was alright. Bit stressful nearer to lunch. By the way, remind me to go to the lake at six." She hummed, flipping through the pages of her book. Severus frowned as he recognized the cover "Is that -" "_The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Six_, yes." She smirked and pulled out her wand.

Severus sighed quietly and returned to his desk, where a potion was bubbling away. "What're you making?" She asked as she noticed the cauldron, watching him drop in a powdered ingredient. "Wolfsbane." He answered absently, stirring three times counter clockwise before adding more of the powdered ingredient. Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment, before understanding dawned on her face. "Oh!" She said suddenly, "Oh that makes so much more _sense_!" She grinned as her father raised a single ebony eyebrow at her. "What?" She scoffed, "I'm the only student taking twelve courses, and you think I wouldn't figure it out?"

He chuckled as she turned back to her book. He hadn't thought she'd figure it out quite that fast, but none-the-less he was rather proud at that moment. And suddenly, he was sort of happy, for lack of a better word that she had taken on so much this year. She was finally acting as mature as Julie told him she was. "So...I was wondering," She let her eyes flick back up to gauge her father's reaction, "How do you know Lupin exactly? Professor McGonagall said that you were in the same year." He tensed and she turned her eyes back to her book, biting her tongue as she waited for him to lash out.

"We were. He was placed in Gryffindor, and I was in Slytherin." He replied after several moments, bitterness seeping into his voice. "She said he wasn't let in on the secret." She pushed, flipping a page in her book. Severus gave his daughter an appraising look, "How much do you know?" He asked. She sighed and dropped her pretense of reading, looking up to lock eyes with her father. "Well, I know Lupin and Black were both friends with Harry's dad, and I know you didn't get on very well with Lupin. So you obviously didn't get on with Black or James, either." She was slightly taken aback by his blank stare, but grinned as he turned back to his potion, muttering, "Correct."

Severus shook his head gently and dropped in the final ingredient for the potion, "Anything else?" He asked, wondering just how much had been revealed about his past. "Well...there's one other thing. I think Harry didn't get the whole story though." She toyed with the strap of her bag before continuing nervously, "Dumbledore told Harry at the end of our first year, that his dad, James, saved your life." He dropped the ladle in his hand on the floor and cursed. "He didn't _save_ my life, per se," He stated coldly, remembering the day clearly, "he got cold feet over a prank he and Black orchestrated. Had the prank gone through, I would have been killed or _worse_."

Hermione shuddered at the thought. Maybe he wasn't as heroic as Harry thought, but she was pretty damn glad James Potter had stopped the prank. "W-well...I'm glad he did." She stuttered, picking up her book again, "If you had died, I wouldn't be here, and things would be different." She saw the dazed look cross her father's eyes and decided to allow the silence to settle over the room.

Around lunch time he left his office, with a goblet of the potion he had brewed and Hermione listlessly practiced a few of the spells from her book. Try as she might, though, she couldn't stay awake. She had now been up, and about for eighteen hours. She pulled her cloak out of her bag and curled up on the stone floor beside the fireplace.

Severus knocked on the door to Lupin's office, wishing he could have spiked the potion in his hands with something entertaining, and wishing Lupin had never come to the blasted school to teach in the first place. He opened the door and strode in as he heard the shaggy man on the other side give him permission to enter. "Ah Severus." Lupin smiled at him, but he froze at the sight of Harry sitting in front of Lupin's desk, and narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Could you just leave it on the desk for me? Thanks very much." Severus set down the smoking goblet and allowed his eyes to wander between the other two occupants of the room. "I was just showing Harry my Grindylow." Lupin stated pleasantly, gesturing to a large tank behind him.

The potions master sneered, remembering (against his will) the first time he had come across one of the accursed creatures. Damn thing had nearly drowned him. "Fascinating. You should drink that directly, Lupin." He kept his dark eyes locked on the other Professor, "Yes, alright." Lupin answered. "I've made an entire cauldronful. If you need more." Severus waited for his one-time school mate to say more. "I should probably have some more tomorrow, thanks very much, Severus." The potions master spun on his heel, "Not at all." He said darkly, leaving the room before his anger gave him away. Last thing he needed was Potter thinking he was out to kill Lupin. And given the boy's track record of accusatory skills, that was likely what he was going to think.

As he re-entered his office, his eyes softened, seeing Hermione curled up fast asleep on the floor. He cast a quick cushioning charm and set about grading more abysmal homework essays.

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><p>Hermione rushed down to the lake, having only just awoken in her father's office. She had exactly one minute to get to the lake and hide before she and Ron would come back from Hogsmeade. She skidded to a halt behind a large tree just in time to see herself pull out her Time-Turner and vanish as Ron continued rambling aimlessly about Zonko's Joke shop. She stepped out from behind the tree and fell into place beside Ron just before he turned to ask her opinion on the fanged frisbee he had bought. "I think it's barbaric, and you'll have it confiscated within the week." She said flatly, but the red head's grin only grew, "Excellent. It'll be fun then!" She sighed as they entered the castle and trudged up to Gryffindor tower.<p>

"There you go." Ron said, dumping his load of candies and jokes into Harry's lap once they reached the common room. "We got as much as we could carry." Hermione added, handing over the bag of items she had bought for the dark haired boy. "Thanks." Harry said, picking up a packet of black pepper imps from the pile, to examine them. He asked them what Hogsmeade was like, and she let Ron explain the things they had seen and done, in case she were to forget any details.

"What did you do?" She asked Harry as Ron slipped off onto a tangent about butterbeer, and the dark haired boy leaned in closely before replying. "Lupin made me a cup of tea in his office. Then Snape came in and gave him a potion." This stopped Ron's speech on butterbeer, and the red head's eyes went wide. "And he _drank_ it?" He asked, appalled. Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed their robes by the back of their necks, "Oh shush Ronald. Come on, it's time for the feast. And I would like to attend my _first_ Halloween feast, thank you very much." She tugged them out of the portrait hole. "And if, as you insist on believing, Snape _was_ trying to poison Lupin," She dropped her hands to her sides, "he wouldn't have done it in front of Harry." '_There,_' she thought, '_that ought to shut them up long enough for me to enjoy the feast._'

The great hall was decorated liberally with giant pumpkins, candles, and orange and black streamers. Hermione also noted gleefully that there were live bats flying around. "Oh wow..." She said under her breath taking her seat, she let her eyes wander over to the Slytherin table, were Draco was holding his bandaged arm up, pretending he couldn't move it at all. She rolled her eyes and turned to look up at the staff table, and caught her father's eye; he seemed to be in relatively good spirits today; though he kept his eyes trained on Lupin. She sighed as the food appeared on the table, and dug into the delicious feast.

As the hour turned late and the feast drew to a close, Hermione cheered alongside Harry and Ron as the ghosts put on a fabulous performance, gliding through the walls and tables. She wrapped her arms around their shoulders happily as they left the great hall, snorting when she heard Draco shout over the crowd, "The Dementors send their love Potter!" As they made their way up the stairs, she tightened her grip, "If you two ever make me miss the Halloween feast again, I'll give you purple warts that will never vanish." She laughed as they both went pale, "Blimey, sometimes I'd_ swear _you were a Slytherin, 'mione." Ron said with a yawn as they came across a huddled group of Gryffindor's in the corridor leading up to the fat lady's portrait. "Don't be silly Ronald. I'm not a pureblood. I can't be a Slytherin." She huffed, crossing her arms. "What's the hold up? Somebody give her the password!"

The students around her shrugged, and suddenly Percy, Head Boy extraordinaire, was pushing through the crowd, shoving her and Harry out of the way in his haste. "Let me through," He said importantly, nudging other students to the side, "What's the hold up here? Have you _all_ forgotten the password, it's -" His voice stopped dead, and Hermione was now _very_ confused. "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore, quick!" Percy's voice called out with a note of panic.

Ginny came up behind them and rested her chin on Hermione's shoulder, "What's going on?" The brunette shrugged, "No idea -" She pressed herself back as Dumbledore turned the corner, and the rest of the students in the hall did the same to make room for the Headmaster to pass by. Hermione leaned forward after he passed and her eyes fell on the shredded portrait of the fat lady. "Oh my -" She latched onto Harry's arm, watching wide eyed as McGonagall came hurrying around the corner next followed by Lupin and her father. Severus looked her over once, to make sure she was okay, before turning his attention to the ruined portrait. Apparently, he ought to have listened to David this summer, and had her transferred.

"We need to find her," Dumbledore said quickly, gesturing to the destroyed, but empty, painting behind him. "Professor McGonagall, go to Filch and have search every painting in the castle." Peeves took this moment to float into the hallway, "You'll be lucky!" He cackled, and Dumbledore addressed him calmly, but Hermione had a feeling she knew what had happened. Her eyes flickered to Harry, whom seemed to have pieced it together as well. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black." Peeves voice drew gasps of fear from every student in the hall, and Hermione clutched Harry's sleeve tighter as Ginny and Ron latched onto her robes.

Ten minutes later they were all in the great hall, and the students from the other houses began filing in. Dumbledore was standing up at the podium in front of the staff table, from where he gave all his speeches, "The teachers and I need to do a full search of the school." He informed them, and Hermione saw Draco's eyes flicker over to where she was. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will all be sleeping in the great hall tonight. Where we can watch over you. Prefects will stand guard over the doors, and the Head Boy and Head Girl will be left in charge." The silver haired wizard waved his wand lazily and the tables pressed themselves against the walls as hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags appeared on the floor.

"C'mon." Ron picked up a sleeping bag as Percy ordered them all to bed, and nodded over to a corner. Hermione and Harry followed his lead and pulled their sleeping bags to the corner as well before laying down. "Do you think he's still in the castle, Black I mean?" She asked softly, keeping her eyes trained steadily on the ceiling. "Obviously Dumbledore does." Ron said quietly, and they listened for a moment to the wild whispers flying through the hall. She scoffed at each of the suggested ideas, "What?" Harry asked, as she rolled her eyes. "Am I the only one who's actually _read_ _Hogwarts: a history_?"

Ron voiced his opinion that she probably _was_ the only one to read the whole book, and she sighed. "It's just, Hogwarts is protected by much more than just walls, you know. You _can't_ apparate in or out, you can't fly in, and not to mention the Dementors. And Filch knows all of the secret passages." Percy chose that moment to grow impatient and he shouted that the lights were going out. Hermione stared up at the enchanted starry ceiling, although she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep.

Every hour a teacher would come poke their head into the great hall and check on the peacefully sleeping students, and for a while, Hermione toyed with the idea of sneaking off to use her time-turner. It wouldn't do her much good now, she supposed, because it would be impossible for her to sneak back into the crowded hall. Around three in the morning Dumbledore came back into the great hall, and made his way over to Percy. The Head Boy, as luck would have it, was only a couple rows away from where she lay with Harry and Ron.

"Any sign of him Professor?" Percy asked, his voice getting ever closer. She feigned sleep after a moment, "No. All well here?" Dumbledore replied, and Percy told him everything was under control. "Good. No point in moving them now." The weary Headmaster proceeded to tell the Head boy that he'd found a replacement, and the fat lady was located. Hermione was secretly pleased, she rather liked the portrait. The doors to the great hall creaked open again, and footsteps echoed softly as the new figure approached. "Headmaster?" She recognized her father's voice immediately.

He, sounding quite tired and stressed, informed them that the remaining parts of the castle had been searched, and nothing had been found. "Very well Severus, I hadn't expected Black to linger." "Have you any idea how he may have gotten in?" Hermione opened her eyes just enough to glimpse her father and Dumbledore, both bathed grey in the moon light, "Many, Severus. Each less likely then the next." She let out a silent sigh and turned her eyes up as her father dropped his voice, "You remember the conversation we had Professor, just before the start of term?" She had to strain her ears to hear the whisper, but the reprimanding look Dumbledore sent her father was palpable. "I do, Severus." Dumbledore's tone was a warning.

"It seems - almost impossible - that he could get in without help. I did express my concerns regarding -" Her father's voice was cut of abruptly, and she assumed the Headmaster had raised his hand, "I do not believe a single person in this castle would have helped Black to enter it." It was clear the subject was to be dropped. Dumbledore swept out the room moments later, declaring he had to go speak with the Dementors, and Hermione looked in her father's direction again. He seemed furious. His eyes caught hers and she gave him a weak smile, but he too swept out of the hall.

"What was that about?" Ron whispered furiously after Percy stalked away from their corner as well. Hermione turned to face the boys, "Obviously he thinks one of the teachers cannot be trusted." Harry nodded wisely, and Ron bit his lip, before hissing quietly, "Bet it was him. And he's trying to shift the blame." She reached out carefully and cuffed him upside the head, "Don't be a twit Ron. He and Black have always been enemies." Harry fixed her with a curious glance, "And how do _you_ know that?" He asked, making her blush. "I figured it out. Sirius was supposedly friends with your dad, and your dad and mi-er-Snape didn't exactly get on, did they?"

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><p>The fat lady's replacement turned out to be a portrait of a stout little knight and his fat pony. Hermione rolled her eyes at the portrait of Sir Cadogan, recalling how he'd led Harry, Ron and herself to their first Divination class.<p>

Currently, Hermione was seated in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class room, pondering over the last week's events. Tomorrow was the first Quidditch game of the season, a match which ought to have been Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, but that had changed. Draco had claimed his arm was still too painful, (though she thought it ought to have been decent enough by now,) and the match was now against Hufflepuff.

She drew out her text book and parchment with boredom, and didn't bother to look up as she heard someone enter the class. "I thought you'd be here." Her father's voice startled her out of her thoughts and she turned to give him a curious look, "What are you doing here?" She asked, earning a raised eyebrow, "Professor Lupin was feeling too ill to teach today. I graciously offered my services." "Ah, okay. The boys won't like that." She said knowingly, flipping open her book, "Well we're supposed to be starting Hinkypunks today."

Severus set his own book down on the teacher's desk and quirked an eyebrow. "That's nice." He said noncommittally, setting up the materials he had prepared. Hermione groaned and ran her hands through her hair, "Let me guess...you want us to skip ahead to about page three-hundred and ninety-four?" She asked, unsure if she wanted to laugh or not. She was fairly certain, that nosey or not, Lupin's business was Lupin's business. She couldn't voice her unease though, as the rest of the class began to file in. Ten minutes into the start of class, Harry came running in, "Sorry I'm late Professor Lup-" He stopped dead as his eyes fell on her father, and she rolled her eyes at the dramatics.

Her father, a little too gleefully, deducted ten points for his being late, and she sighed, flipping the pages in her book. This was going to be a very long lesson at this rate. Harry stubbornly refused to take his seat until Snape deducted another five points, threatening to make it fifty, if he didn't. Harry sat down hastily in the open seat beside her, and she nudged him in the ribs for causing the loss of fifteen points.

"As I was saying, Professor Lupin has left no records of what your class has done so far." He paused to sneer at the messy desk beside him, and Hermione decided a little entertainment might be in order. "Please, sir, we've covered Boggarts -" the look on her father's face suggested he'd been expecting this, "- Red Caps, Kappa's and Grindylow's. We were just about to start on -" "Be quiet." His voice was so cold she nearly recoiled, but she knew it was just for show, and that kept her strong. He continued on to state that he'd merely been commenting on the lack of organization.

She heard Dean Thomas mutter something in defense of Lupin from a row away, and sighed. "You are too easily satisfied. I would expect first years to deal with Red Caps and Grindylow's." He paused to smirk, "Today we will discuss -" he flipped to the back of the text book and Hermione sighed, "- Werewolves." "But sir," she said quickly, wondering if perhaps she could dissuade him from his idea, "we're not due to start werewolves yet. We're to start Hinkypunks-" "Miss Granger," this time she did recoil at the deadly calm tone of his voice, "I was under the impression that _I_ was the teacher, not you. Now turn to page three-hundred and ninety-four."

None of her classmates moved, and her father lost his patience, "All of you! _Now_!" Slowly to class opened their books and he issued a question about identifying the differences between werewolves and true wolves. Hermione put her hand up straight away, knowing that her house mates would find it odd if she didn't, though she wasn't sure she wanted to provoke her father much more. He ignored her hand, as per usual, and the twisted smile she hated slipped over his face. "Are you telling me you haven't even learned the basic distinction -" "We told you," Parvati cut him off, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet."

Hermione watched the anger burn in her father's eyes towards her dorm mate, and she was sorely tempted to let her take the fall, but she knew that it wasn't right. If she hadn't pushed five minutes ago about the topic, then Parvati might have never spoke up. "Silence! Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third year class that wouldn't recognize a werewolf if they saw one." "Please sir," she hoped this wouldn't end with her leaving the class in tears, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several ways. The snout of the -" Her father gave her a warning look, "- werewolf is-" he closed his eyes and she winced. Oh dear, this wouldn't be pretty.

"That is the second time you've spoken out of turn, Miss Granger." He took a step towards her desk, "Five points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all." She felt tears burn in her eyes as let her gaze drop to the floor. She knew he didn't mean the 'insufferable' part, but it still hurt. She heard Ron jump to his feet beside her, and tell off her father. She wasn't sure what shocked her more as she brought her gaze back up from the floor, that Ron had come to her defence, or that the entire class was glaring at her father.

"Detention Weasley." Severus snapped, and the class finally fell into quiet study. Hermione was hard pressed not to laugh however. Her father was prowling up and down the rows of desks, criticizing their previous assignments for fun. She knew he wasn't being serious, because not only were his 'corrections' _vastly_ wrong, she could see the smirk on his face. As he passed by her desk, his smirk grew slightly, and she couldn't help the small smile she gave him in return.

As the bell rang to signal the end of class they were told to write two scrolls of parchment on the Werewolf, for Monday morning. She stood with Harry, but her father called out to her, "Mister Weasley stay, we need to discuss your detention. You as well Miss Granger." She sighed and told Harry to go on without them, "We'll catch up at lunch." She said calmly, and the dark haired boy reluctantly followed the rest of the class out into the corridor.

"Mister Weasley, you will scrub out the bed pans in the hospital wing for you detention, tomorrow evening, no magic. Madam Pomfrey will be expecting you." Severus said as the room finally emptied, giving the red haired boy a look that just dared him to protest. In a rare show of restraint, Ron did not argue the unfair punishment. "Now out in the hallway. I must speak with Miss Granger alone." Hermione watched with mild awe as Ron shifted himself between her and her father, "Why do I have to leave? If you can't say it in front of me -" she jabbed him in the ribs with her finger from behind, "Ron, I'll be fine. Go on to lunch."

She saw her father smirk as Ron left the room begrudgingly. "Good show today." He commented once they were alone, and she smiled. "Twenty five points for Gryffindor." He shooed her from the room after granting her the points. She joined Ron in the corridor and they set off to find Harry for lunch. As soon as they found him, Ron launched off, swearing about his detention, calling her father a nasty name, for which she smacked him upside the head. "Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office, eh? Could have finished him off for us." She stopped walking as the words left Ron's mouth. She stepped backwards quietly, thankful neither of the boys had realized she'd stopped, and she ducked into an empty old class room.

As soon as the door was shut behind her, she sank down to the floor and felt tears roll down her face. Ron had a talent for hurting her without realizing it. The very thought of such an incident happening, to have her father found dead, it made her heart throb in agony. She heard a scuffle to her left and her head snapped in the direction of the sound. "Who's there?" She called out, as a tiny light bobbed into view. "Miss Granger?" The raspy voice of Lupin called out from the other end of the room, and she turned towards it as the shaggy Professor rose to his feet.

"Oh, Professor Lupin." She jumped back up to her feet and pressed against the door slightly, "Professor Snape told us you were ill." She kept her eyes on him as he casually made his way over, "Ah yes, I am rather under the weather at the moment, however my Hinkypunk escaped its cage." His eyes had dark bags under them, and she could see quite a few scratches marring his face and arms. "Would...would you like a hand capturing it? You look like you could use a break." She _knew_ she wasn't supposed to be alone with Lupin, in case he questioned her, but he did look awful. His condition was known for being very hard on the body.

He sighed gratefully and pulled himself up to sit on an old dusty desk. "That would be wonderful, thank you Miss Granger." She gave him a smile, "So how should I capture it? They can be immobilized right?" He nodded once and his shaggy brown hair fell in his eyes. "That's correct. They are desperately fast when they wish though. So you'll have to sneak up on it." She rolled up her sleeves and drew her wand, searching for the tiny bobbing light she had seen before. She spotted it behind a broken bench, and slowly made her way towards it. "I believe I owe you an apology, for the other day in the library." Lupin's voice nearly made her jump.

"It's alright Professor." She replied evenly, reaching out with her wand, until she tripped and fell loudly onto the broken bench, scaring off the Hinkypunk. "Ouch." She pushed herself back upright and looked around once again for the Hinkypunk. "No, no, it's not. My curiosity gets the best of me from time to time, a trait I picked up from -" "James, I'm guessing?" She cut him off without realizing, as she spotted the small wispy creature by an over turned bookshelf. "Actually yes, how did you know that, Miss Granger?" His surprised tone made her realize what she had done.

"Oh, well, I heard you were friends with Harry's dad, and Professor Dumbledore is always saying how Harry is exactly like his dad." She answered quickly, pointing her wand at the Hinkypunk again, "_Immobulius_!" She shouted, the spell hit the wispy little creature and it froze in place. "Where is its cage?" She asked, turning to face the weary Professor. "It's back in my office; I can levitate it there, thank you for your assistance Miss Granger." She nodded quickly and made her way to the door, "I hope you're well enough to attend the game tomorrow, Harry never disappoints for a good show." She said politely, leaving the room and bolting for the great hall. Lunch would be over in a few minutes. She slowed down as she entered the hall, and let her thoughts wander to Lupin. He might have the condition, but he seemed well enough.

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><p>end chapter seven!<p>

Sorry I couldn't get this up sooner, I haven't been home much the past few days because of the holidays.

Anyway, the next chapter is the Christmas one, and I may even post it tonight, but if not, then it'll be out before new year.

Merry Christmas, happy Hanukka, have a wonderful Kwanzaa and, I'm sorry but those are the only three I know off the top of my head, so if I've missed anything, hope they are wonderful too. And, yes. Yes I did have to do that the hard way, because Happy Holidays sounds kind of hollow to me, please, no comments on that. Everyone's entitled to their own opinions on holiday ettiquete and I wouldn't raz anyone else for how they chose to say it! {just adding that because I have been run through with lectures by random people before}


	8. Bludgers, Dementors, And Burning Cold

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Eight: Bludgers, Dementors, and burning cold

Disclaimer: I don't own the overall story but here's one twist I did make up (for the record, that means I haven't crossed paths with another story that has a similar twist)

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><p>Hermione stood by the lake the next morning, tossing stones into the icy cold water. She had tried to make them skip at first, but had given up as her companion laughed his arse off at the failed attempts. Beside her, Draco was tossing a rock up and down with his 'good' hand, "Is your arm <em>actually<em> still stiff and sore, Draco?" She asked, taking in the sight of the fresh wrapping on his wrist. It was particularly nasty outside today, and she'd thought he was crazy when he offered to join her. Hell, she thought _she_ was crazy for being out here in the first place.

"Sort of. I just didn't really want to play in this weather." He answered honestly throwing his own flat rock so it skipped over the surface of the water several times before sinking. She rolled her eyes and sat down on the damp grass, "You are a real piece of work Draco." She said calmly, enjoying the feel of the wind whipping through her hair. The Slytherin dropped down beside her and scooted as close as he could, "Oh?" He asked playfully, raising his eyebrows slightly. She sighed and brought her arm up to rest on his shoulder, "Yeah. You do want to show up Harry don't you?"

"Of course I do." He replied, losing the playful grin, "I'd love to wipe the smug look off his face in a Quidditch match." She tilted her head slightly and crossed her legs in front of her, "Well to do that, you actually need to play him. In a _fair_ game." He scoffed and moved away slightly, his blonde hair being blown into his eyes by the strong winds. "I'll play fair if he does. I wasn't the one to bewitch that stupid bludger." He snapped, remembering the embarrassing first match between Gryffindor and Slytherin the year before. "I wasn't saying you did. I know it was Dobby." She said calmly, shifting closer to him.

"Not everyone's born athletic." He said coldly, turning to glare at the hoops of the Quidditch pitch. "I know. But anyone can beat a natural athlete if they work hard enough. Talent is worth very little, Draco." She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and leaned in closer, "It's determination that wins." She felt her cheeks go red as she realized she was once again close enough to kiss him. He was looking the other way, and she was thankful for that because she sort of wanted to enjoy the moment. She had precious little time to spend with her Slytherin friend during the school year.

She noticed his face turning back towards hers, and she pulled back quickly, managing to hide her blush. "We should head back up to the castle. Normal people will be waking up right about now." He said, getting to his feet and offering her his hand, which she accepted. They walked up to the castle in silence, and were greeted by her very stressed out looking father. "How long have you been out there? Do you have any idea what day it is?" He pulled them into the entrance hall and checked them both for any wounds. Hermione bit her lip in thought, and gasped. "Oh! Oh it was the full moon last night...oh no. I completely forgot."

Severus stepped back after he was sure they were both fine, and ignored the confusion on Draco's face. He wasn't actually allowed to _say_ anything to the students; they had to figure it out for themselves, like Hermione had. "I'm going to have to give you both detentions for being out of bed, and outside the castle." He said sternly, earning a shrug from his daughter. "I figured as much." Draco didn't seem too pleased about the idea, but the blonde boy knew better than to protest. It wouldn't get him anywhere.

"You'll help me label jars and clean the potions room tonight at eight." He directed them into the great hall, where three mugs of coffee were waiting. "You may warm up before heading back to your dorms to get ready for breakfast." He looked at the old silver watch on his wrist and frowned, "On second thought, take the coffee with you. It's a half hour till breakfast. And no more wandering out of bed, or the castle on full moons." He grabbed his own mug and left the great hall.

Hermione chuckled and grabbed her mug, "We got so lucky. I feel stupid for having forgotten." She said as they walked back to the entrance hall together, "What do you mean?" Draco asked, as they came to where they had to part ways, "I can't tell you. You have to figure it out on your own. Just heed my dad's warnings, he knows what he's talking about."

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><p>The whole school turned out to watch the Quidditch that match, despite the torrent of rain that had begun shortly after breakfast, and the hurricane winds. Hermione sat in the stands, huddled with Ginny, Ron and Neville, under a large umbrella she had charmed to be resistant of the winds. "This is crazy! No wonder Slytherin didn't want to play!" She shouted over the wind, earning a nod from Neville and a scoff from Ron. "Those bloody cowards. Any team worth its brooms will play in any weather." He shouted back.<p>

Hermione hugged her cloak tighter, "I wonder how Harry's going to see the snitch in this!" She said as the teams stepped onto the field, little soaked blurs of red and canary yellow. "He'll manage, just hope he does it fast!" Ginny shouted with a light blush on her cheeks. The young red haired girl still had the biggest crush on Harry, which Hermione thought was rather cute.

As the game began, the weather grew worse, there was very little visibility, and no one could hear Lee Jordan's commentary over the wind. The sky got steadily darker, and darker, until Hermione saw Oliver Wood calling for a time out. She jumped out of her seat, "I'll be right back!" She ran down to the field as fast as she could, and arrived just as Harry touched down. He was drenched to the bone, and his glasses were foggy and smudged with water. "Harry!"

She got to his side as he was complaining about his lack of visibility, and she pulled out her wand quickly, "Harry, I've just had an idea. I wish I'd thought of this a while ago." She pulled his glasses out of his slippery hands, and tapped them with her wand. "_Impervius_." She handed them back and saw his face light up as he put them back on. "They should repel water now." She told him, feeling rather proud of her moment of genius. She turned and ran back towards the stand, barely hearing Harry shout his thanks over the wind.

She stopped running as she reached the cover of the stands, and tried to catch her breath. "Watch out!" A voice called from her left, and she swung around in time to see a bludger headed her way. She ducked as it zoomed past, and looked for something to hit it with. She stood up empty handed, and realized that the boy who had warned her, was holding a beater's bat. He slammed the bludger away and it spiraled off towards the players again. "Thanks I-" He turned to face her, and she saw the shock of blonde hair under his hood, "- Draco! Why do you have a beater's bat?"

He smirked and tugged her up the stairs to the safety of the stands, "I saw you running onto the field, and I thought that might happen." She smiled and squeezed her hand around his, "That doesn't _quite_ answer my question. But I can live not knowing. Let's stop down here. I don't want to be up there again yet." She made him stop halfway up, and pulled him behind the stairs, where they could sit without fear of being interrupted. She sat beside him and removed her hood. He went to remove his own, but she stopped him. "You may want to leave that on. These are the Gryffindor bleachers." She leaned her head onto his shoulder and sighed happily.

"Er...Hermione...I know I was a bit of a prat last time I asked, but, would you maybe...consider a -" his voice cracked here, and she giggled, "- a lunch date, next Hogsmeade trip?" Blood rushed to her face as he used the word 'date', and she nodded nervously. "Okay. I'd like that." She sucked in a deep breath as he grinned at her, and she grinned back. Her heart began to speed up as he leaned in closer, but suddenly everything went cold. She started breathing heavily as voices echoed through her head, and she slammed her hands over her ears, trying to block them out. "_Give me the mark._" A woman's raspy voice flowed through her, and she gasped in pain, dropping her hands to grasp her left arm. "_You already have it_." a hissing male voice said, "_Again. Over my child._" There was a high pitched shriek and she cried out.

"Hermione!" Draco wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled her up onto her feet. "Stay with me 'mione. I'll get you up to someone who can help." He pulled her back into the stairwell and helped her climb. When he finally reached the top, he came face-to-face with Professor McGonagall. "She - I don't even know. She collapsed." He gasped between breaths, and the head of Gryffindor house took the limp girl from his arms, "Very well, you'd best go. The match is over." He nodded and hurried back down the stairs, wondering what exactly had happened.

Ron and Ginny came running over as she came back down to reality. "Huh?" She looked around, blinking in confusion. Where had Draco gone? "Hermione! Did you see all those Dementors?" Ron's face swam into view and she groaned, "Oh...Dementors. Yeah." She shook her head to clear the fog. "Come on, I'll escort you two to the hospital wing to see Potter. Miss Weasley please head back to the common room."

She was ushered back to the school, occasionally leaning on Ron for support as her head spun. She completely understood how Harry felt on the train now. The only question was; what the hell was she reliving? They stumbled into the infirmary and found Madam Pomfrey stirring a giant cauldron. "Nasty Dementors. Ruining my day off." The healer muttered, dropping a huge chunk of Honeydukes chocolate into the large cauldron.

"Is Potter awake, Poppy?" McGonagall asked as Ron helped Hermione over to an empty bed. "No, I'm afraid he's out cold. And now I've got to brew a mass cure for Dementor's colds. It's madness, allowing those things in the school." Poppy huffed, bringing a chunk of chocolate over to Hermione and Ron each. "Eat that dear, then perhaps you should rest here for a bit. I'm going to send for Severus, this is ridiculous. I can't brew all this alone."

Hermione nibbled at the chocolate with disinterest, and turned to Ron whom had taken a seat on the bed by hers, "What happened exactly? I think I blacked out." She asked, setting the chocolate on the bedside stand. Ron sighed deeply and stuffed half of his chocolate into this mouth before responding. "Harry and Digory were racing for the snitch, and there was this flash of lightening. Suddenly there was at least a hundred Dementors swooping down over the pitch and the stands, and Harry fainted again. He fell about fifty feet." She gasped and her jaw dropped, "How did he _survive_?" She asked appalled at the very idea. "Dumbledore waved his wand before Harry landed and softened the blow I guess. Where were you?"

She bit her lip and played with her soaked school robes, "I was on my way back up when the Dementor's showed up." It wasn't _necessarily_ a lie. "You should go get some lunch or something Ron, see if you can find Harry's broom too. I'm going to take Madam Pomfrey's advice and have a nap." She laid down and he left quickly. She sighed and ran her hands over her face, the words haunting her. She lay perfectly still for nearly a half hour before the bed sunk down with the weight of another person. She lifted one of her hands and looked at the offending body that had broken her from her thoughts. It was her father, and he was holding the chocolate she had abandoned earlier.

"You'll feel better if you eat this." He stated, holding it in front of her face until she took it with a sigh. "I'm not hungry. I -" She looked around and found the room to be devoid of eavesdroppers, "- I heard_ something_. When the Dementors were there." She watched the colour drain from her father's face and he leaned in very close, "What did you hear?" He asked urgently. "A woman and a man were talking. The woman asked for '_the mark'_." She _still_ hadn't figured out what that meant, but Severus figured it out right away. "What else?" His voice was a croak now, and she bit her lip. "He said she already had_ it_. And she said, _'again, over my child.'_ and then -" She gripped her arm as she recalled the burning pain.

Severus stood up abruptly, looking rather green. "Your left arm hurt. Let me see it." He drew curtains up around her bed with a flick of his hand as she rolled up her sleeve. The flesh was bright red, and he could make out the faintest hints of a white skull. He backed away quickly and she rolled her sleeve back down. "Has your arm ever -" "No. I've never had even a twinge of pain. It just came on suddenly like a burn." She was whispering now, and shaking, as her father stepped out of the curtains. "Don't move. I'm going to get Dumbledore. Wait." He stepped back in and pulled out his wand quickly, "Focus on the memory." He instructed, and she did as she was told. Suddenly it began to slip away and she gasped, "It's -" "It's okay. I've got it." He pulled back his wand and placed it over an empty vial. A smoky white substance slid from the tip of the wand and pooled in the glass vial, "Dumbledore may need to see this." He said, gently placing a cork in the opening.

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><p>Severus burst into the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore sat perched at his desk, a goblet of mead in front of him, and his eyes shut tight. "I have something disturbing to show you." He said gravely, and a pair of bright blue eyes fixed themselves on the vial in his hands. The Headmaster flicked his wand towards an old cabinet in the corner and it opened to reveal a large stone basin. Severus pulled the cork stopper from the vial and emptied the memory into the glassy liquid inside the basin.<p>

The chilling voices Hermione had heard filled the room, and Albus quickly conjured another goblet of mead. "This is troubling." He said as the potions master seated himself in an arm chair. "That's - that's not all. She says her arm burned, and when I asked her to show me..." He picked up his goblet and gulped back the contents. "Was there?" Albus was afraid to ask, afraid of the answer, but he needed to know. "Not exactly. It was red and raw. There were faint white lines...like it was there, but was removed."

"We must get to the bottom of this." Severus nodded numbly, "If it means what I think it does, then it explains much." Though he dearly hoped it did _not_ mean what he thought it did.

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><p>Hermione heard the sound of several pairs of feet walking past her bed, and she sat up groggily, trying to remember what had happened. Ron's head poked through the curtains and he gave her a grim smile, "We're going to see Harry. You might want to come, he's gonna need all his friends." He pushed the curtain aside and showed her the bundle of twigs wrapped in a towel in his arms. A piece stuck out at one end and she could just barely make out the words <em>Nimbus Two-Thousand<em> printed in gold letters. "Oh dear." She hopped out of bed and retrieved the chocolate that had once again found its way onto the bedside table.

She stepped out of the curtains and saw Harry conversing with a very morose Fred and George. She heard them telling the seeker that they had lost the match, and she hurried over to his bedside. As soon as she and Ron got close enough, Harry's eyes fell on the bundle in the red haired boy's arms. "Please tell me that's not-" he squeaked in horror as Ron pulled down the towel, "When you fell off, it got swept away by the wind and...and..." she trailed off as Ron set the remains of the racing broom on the bed beside their best friend. "It hit the whomping willow. And you know that tree...it hits back."

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><p>On Monday morning Hermione walked from breakfast with Harry and Ron, to the dungeons for their first class of the day, double potions with the Slytherin's. The class was a little quieter than normal; however Ron did lose their house fifty points. She couldn't quite blame him though, Draco had been acting rather obnoxious and had been egging on her steadily growing migraine, so it was a relief when he stopped being loud after being hit in the face with a slimy crocodile heart. She let the boys leave the dungeons ahead of her, and when she was alone she pulled out her time-turner and ran off to Arithmancy. And Muggle Studies.<p>

She, finally finished with her nine am classes, snuck up behind the boys as Ron complained about the thought of possibly finding Snape in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class again. She peeked into the class when they got close enough and sighed. "It's ok." Professor Lupin was seated at the teacher's desk, with the Hinkypunk safely enclosed in its glass case. The boys entered the class cheering and she rolled her eyes. They could be so immature. By the end of the class, the others had all complained so violently about their homework that it was deemed unnecessary.

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><p>End chapter eight!<p>

So it's been a little longer than I had hoped for my update, but here it is!

Actually this is very exciting! I had not realized that my first twist was in this chapter, but it is! So, let's summarize shall we?

Hermione has a very (improbable) flash back due to the Dementor's; from before she was even born.

I'm aware it seems odd, if you piece everything together (although you have not got all the details yet,) and it is probably medically impossible, but let's just put that aside and enjoy the unfolding plot.


	9. Photographs And Secrets

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Nine: Photographs and secrets

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Reviewers with questions see bottom of page for AN, thanks!

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><p>Christmas approached quickly, and it was announced two weeks before the end of term that there would be another trip to Hogsmeade. The news made Hermione blush bright red, as she remembered her plans with Draco. It went without saying that she was going to have to use her time-turner to pull off the date. As well as all her Christmas shopping. She had signed up, along with Ron, to stay for the holidays as McGonagall came around with the usual list. She wanted to keep Harry company, and spend the holidays with her father.<p>

The Saturday before the Hogsmeade trip, Hermione was sitting in the library, scrambling to finish her homework. She still had twelve assignments to do. Halfway through her potions essay, (four feet on bubotuber pus,) she heard the chair across from her scrape across the floor and she looked up to find Draco. "Hey." She greeted, placing her quill into her inkpot so she could take a break. "Hi." He replied nervously, drumming his fingers on the table. "So, er, the Hogsmeade trip is coming up."

She nodded slowly, folding her hands in her lap, "How about Madam Puddifoot's at one?" She offered, and his cheeks were flooded with pink. "Why there?" "It's the only place I can guarantee that we won't be walked in on." It was true, the Three Broomsticks was always crowded with students and staff, and Ron would not willingly walk into any coffee shop. Ever. Though, judging by the slightly sour look on Draco's face, he seemed to share Ron's sentiment. "It doesn't look that bad in there, you know." She said, trying not to smirk at the increasingly sour look on his face.

"If you want to do the Three Broomsticks, we'll have to go earlier." She started tracing invisible circles on the table top as his face began to fall. "This would be much easier, if you were out as-" a loud _thud_ made him pause. She looked around nervously and offered him a small smile, "I know what you mean, and you're right. It would be easier. But I can't do that yet. So how about ten o'clock? Three Broomsticks and two butterbeers?" The sound of approaching footsteps made them both uneasy and he prepared to disappear under the table.

When Severus stepped into the next row of books they let out a great sigh of relief. He raised an eyebrow at the two, not used to finding them hidden in the library stacks together, (though it was a comfort to him that they merely appeared to be studying.) "You may want to separate, Gryffindor's pride-and-joy have entered the library in search of you." He said calmly, pulling a book down from a higher shelf.

Hermione groaned and slumped forward on the table, "Even on a Saturday. Can't have a single day without my -" she shot up right and coughed nervously, "- er, my friends coming to harass me about homework!" She laughed nervously and she stood numbly, and gathered her parchment into a pile. "I should go head them off..." She gathered everything into her arms and raced out of the aisle, only to come running back moments later. "Oh they're gone. Good. Study time." She spread the pages out over the table top and sat down again. She had turned the corner in time to see _herself _with Harry and Ron. Laughing, and discussing Quidditch.

Severus, spurred by his daughter's strange behaviour, followed the path she had just taken and saw another version of her staring at him, sitting at a table with Harry and Ron. He stepped back behind the bookshelf as Draco was coming up behind him to look as well, but he caught the blonde boy by the shoulder and brought him back to the table, "I see your point. Let's go down to my office, shall we?" She picked up her books and parchment again, stuffing them into her bag recklessly. "But how are we going to get out of here?" She asked nervously, as Severus placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her along the rows with Draco, who was thoroughly confused now.

"What's going on? Why are we sneaking out of the library?" She elbowed him in the ribs and motioned for him to be silent as Severus pulled them behind a tapestry at the very back of the restricted section. "Follow the stairs; we'll come out in the dungeons." He told them, pulling them down a long winding staircase.

They reached the bottom and he stepped out first, to ensure the coast was clear, and as they moved to follow, the exit became blocked. "What the -" Hermione quickly covered Draco's mouth with her hand and strained her ears. She could hear her father speaking to someone, issuing a detention. "I'll explain things to you later, as much as I can, okay?" She held out her free hand, with just her pinky extended, and he stared at it in confusion. "It's a pinky swear, it's a promise. I...I guess it's a muggle thing." He made no move, and she sighed, letting her other hand drop from his mouth to lift his wrist. She twined their pinkies together just as her father pushed aside the tapestry. "Hurry now, down the hall."

* * *

><p>The day of the Hogsmeade trip, Hermione was nervously shuffling through her clothes, searching for something warm, but nice. "Crookshanks! You have good taste, my kitty," She held up two very warm sweaters and waited for the lazy ginger cat to flick his tail towards one. Finally he decided on the green turtleneck in her left hand and she slipped it on along with some jeans. "Do I look okay, Crookshanks?" She asked, twirling on the spot, earning a purr from the cat. She threw herself onto the bed and scooped him into her arms, "I am so glad you decided to attack Ron that day, or I'd never have found you!"<p>

She got back to her feet and made sure her time-turner was well hidden. She had planned out the entire day, to make sure she would have Ron well away from the Three Broomsticks while she was in there with Draco. She grabbed her purse and wrapped her only non-Gryffindor scarf around her neck.

Breakfast never tasted so good, Hermione thought, as she quickly devoured her plate of food. "I was thinking I may start the trip off with a butterbeer this time, you in Hermione?" She paused with her fork half way to her mouth and frowned. "Bit early, isn't it? If we save that for last, we can bring Harry some." He shrugged, "We could go twice." He suggested, and she wanted to bang her head against the breakfast table. "No, Ron. Let's go to...to...Zonko's first! Yes, Zonko's, then Honeydukes." That ought to give her just enough time to have butterbeer with Draco. She frowned as they left the hall, bidding Harry goodbye.

* * *

><p>Hermione watched herself disappear into Zonko's with Ron from her hiding place in an ally, and groaned. She had exactly one hour until Harry would pop up in Honeydukes, brandishing the forsaken map that would ruin her life. And her date. Making sure that no one was looking, she pulled her cloak down over her face and rushed off to the Three Broomsticks, where Draco would be arriving in ten minutes. She hid in the ally beside the quaint pub and waited. Soon, Draco came around the corner and was passing her hiding place. Quickly she reached out, grabbed the neck of his robes, and pulled him unceremoniously into the ally. "What the-" "Shh!" She hushed him as he removed his hood, which had fallen over his eyes.<p>

"Look, Draco...something's come up, and I'm going to have to go back to the castle early. Maybe, if you don't mind, could we meet up later in the library?" She hated the sad look that flashed across his face, before became like stone. "Having too much fun with Weasley are you?" He asked darkly, brushing snow from his hair so he could raise his hood again. "No, look, I can't explain I really can't." She paced back and forth for a moment, "Look, please just trust me? During Christmas break we can-" she gestured wildly with her hands, but gave up, as he narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't know why I bothered asking, when you're so obviously smitten with that red haired ninny." He hissed, backing away from her.

Hermione groaned and hit the palm of her hand to her forehead. "Just shut up and listen to me! Don't put words in my mouth, or actions on my hands!" She growled, pinning him in his place with a stern glare. "You have no idea what I had to risk to come and tell you this. But if you're going to be so mean about it, fine. Forget everything. I'll see you in class." She stormed out of the ally angrily, forcefully wiping away a few stray tears. She really liked Draco, but he just kept flipping the switch on her. The emotional whiplash was just too much right now; Harry needed her and Ron. She needed to focus on her friends.

* * *

><p>Christmas fell on Hogwarts quickly once the term ended, and Hermione wasn't sure if she was sad or not that Draco had suddenly changed his mind and gone home for the holidays. She was still displeased with him over their date, which had been cancelled on a count of him being a prat. Christmas Eve found her seated in her father's office, a large flagon of eggnog in front of her, and a present in her lap. Crookshanks was lounging by the fire, purring contentedly, and Archie was sleeping up on top of a corner bookshelf.<p>

"You may open that tonight, if you wish." Severus said casually, gesturing towards the green and silver wrapped box in her lap. She shrugged in response and picked up her flagon, "What's bothering you?" He asked as she spun the liquid in the cup with disinterest. "It's just...I've..._we've_, that is, Harry, Ron and I, have offered to help Hagrid try to save Buckbeak. And Draco won't speak to me." She sighed deeply and set the drink back on the desk, "and I've got so many classes, and -" Severus cut his daughter off with a pointed look, setting down his own glass of firewhiskey.

"You _can _drop a few classes. If you just drop two subjects, no one will blame you." He was holding his hopes out for her to drop Charity's class. Muggle Studies was useless if you grew up with muggles, and having that woman near his child made him nervous. She could be a conniving witch. Hermione picked up the present in her lap and looked into her father's eyes, "I probably will, next year. I think I can hide that I'm fourteen in February. But eventually, someone would notice." She was sad to admit that she had already lived eight months since September, but truth was truth, and lying to herself would do no good.

Severus was not all together pleased when he'd first heard that his daughter was going to help Hagrid put together Buckbeak's defense, but he was not surprised either. Hermione was, aside from outgoing, a Gryffindor. The need to protect and right wrongs was a big part of who she was. Traits that Dumbledore claimed she could only have inherited from her father; but he had his doubts. If he'd truly been like that, he would _not _have been placed in Slytherin.

Hermione carefully unwrapped the present, taking care not to damage the pretty coloured paper, "What is it?" She asked, pulling away the last bit of paper. "Just open it and see." Severus replied, a smirk tugging at his lips. He'd known she'd ask.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and opened the box to find a large stack of photos. "What are -?" She lifted the stack and shuffled through them with amazement. Some she had seen many times before, for they were baby pictures of her, and others she had never seen. "How did you?" She found herself unable to even finish her sentences, looking at the younger versions of herself dancing about in the frames. He had turned her childhood pictures into wizarding photos that moved.

She flipped through them until she came across a small, dark wedding chapel. "Are these your wedding pictures with Kathrine?" She stumbled over her mother's name slightly, having not felt much of a connection to the woman. She had adapted to calling her father as such, but that was because she _knew _him, she'd _lived _with him. She had never known Kathrine, and if what she remembered from the Dementor's attack was correct, her mother had not been admirable.

The picture in her hand contained, aside from the chapel, a handful of people. There was her father, probably no older than twenty, in patchy dress robes, with an older woman trying to fix his tie. The woman looked a great deal like her father, and she could only assume that this was his mother. On his other side stood a sickly amused, much younger, version of Charity Burbage, who was fixing the brides flowers. Beside Charity stood a tall, sinister looking man with a perfectly trimmed moustache and a sneer. The last person in the picture was the bride. Her bushy hair immediately identified her as Kathrine, and she looked as foreboding as the man beside her mother.

"That is, yes. Beside me you'll see my mother, Eileen. She was so happy that day." Severus stood from his seat and came to lean over her shoulder, pointing to the tiny witch fixing his younger self's tie. He dragged his finger across the picture until it landed on the sinister man, "This is Antonin Dolohov. He's a death eater, and was Kathrine's father. Charity you already know," He moved his finger towards the stout witch fussing over the bride, "and, that is Kathrine." Hermione's eyes locked onto her birth mothers face, and she bit her lip. "Was she a death eater?"

She heard her father's breath hitch, and felt him move away. "Yes." He found he could not lie. He had not wanted to worry her, but his own wants would need to be put on hold now. What she had heard under the influence of the Dementors had cast a wrench in his plans. Hermione stared at the photo, unblinking, and frowned. She had heard some rumors, ones she was afraid to repeat. She wanted to ask him one more question, but she didn't want to know the answer yet.

She flipped through the pictures again, coming across several from their recent trip to Paris. She laughed as she found one which Julie had apparently taken when she and Draco had not been paying attention. In it, she was standing in front of a water fountain, tossing in a sickle, as Draco watched with amazement. The wishing fountain, as it turned out, was not something wizards knew much about.

"Thank you dad." She turned to face her father and gave him a smile. She could see he was still tense, on guard, waiting for her to ask her next question. "I know you have more questions." He said, walking back to his seat. Her smile became wry and forced, "I do." She admitted. She both wanted to ask, and wanted to forget. "If you ask or not, you must know. I'd rather you get the whole story here, with me to mediate the truth and the false."

She set down the stack oh photos in her hands and picked up her flagon of eggnog, "You've never offered up information before." She commented, taking a drink. Severus shrugged and picked up his glass of firewhiskey. "Things have changed." She didn't _quite _understand this, but she trusted her father's judgment.

"At the time of that photo I, too, was a death eater." He paused to let the news sink in. Hermione nearly leapt out of her chair at the unexpected confession. "Just a year and a bit later, however, I switched sides in the war." She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, eager to believe her father good. "Why?" She asked after a moment, as her brain began to process the new information. People rarely switched sides in a war without good reason.

"A dear friend was targeted, and I sought help from Dumbledore." He was not ready to reveal _that _just yet. He owed his daughter the truth, but to remember was too painful. "After swearing my allegiance to Dumbledore, I was made a spy."

Hermione fidgeted nervously in her seat, "This has something to do with the voices I heard, doesn't it?" Her memory flooded with the voices again, and the pain on her forearm returned with a tingle. "Yes. The voices were identified." "Kathrine tried to have me marked..._in _her _womb_?" She was afraid of the answer. "We can only speculate. After a private meeting with Voldemort she and I were separated. I'm still not sure how Dumbledore came to be aware of your survival."

She sighed and shifted through the stack of photo's until she found one which contained only Kathrine, visibly pregnant. She stared long and hard at her _'mothers' _features. It seemed impossible to her, given every other example she'd ever seen, that her own mother would have tried to do such a thing. "There _has _to be _something _else to it, a _reason _or something I -" She rambled off quickly, desperate for something to click into place, some alternative.

Severus watched his daughter panic and frowned. He was afraid that this would happen. "Hermione," her eyes locked onto his once again, "calm down. Things may become clearer in time. For now, you know the facts, and that is what is needed." He reached across the desk and placed a hand over hers. "Now that's out of the way, there's something else bothering you." He thought it might ease the situation to draw the topic elsewhere for a while.

Hermione felt her face flush and she looked away from her father. "I don't know _what _you're talking about. There's _nothing _else bothering me. _Nothing_. I'm _perfectly fine_." She so did _not_ want to get into this with her father right now. Or ever, really. She would much rather forget. "Bullshit." Severus knew better then to believe that. His closest friend growing up had been a girl after all. He was well aware of the female tendency to use words like _'nothing'_, or _'fine' _when things were wrong.

Hermione stood from her chair and gathered her stack of photos, "I should go. Harry and Ron wanted to play exploding snap before dinner." She was, he could tell, lying through her teeth. However, in the spirit of the holidays, he decided he could let it go until she felt ready to talk about whatever it was. "Julie wishes to come for a visit for the holiday." He offered her another topic, and she gratefully accepted the change. "For another day in Hogsmeade?" She asked, carefully placing the pictures back into the box they had come from, no longer in a hurry to leave. "Perhaps. I was thinking she may enjoy a tour of the castle."

"But it says in _Hogwarts: a history_ that muggles can't enter the castle." She remembered very clearly the section about the castles protection. No apparition, no flying through the barriers, no muggles, no muggle devices. It was _very _clear. "That is true. However there is something I would like to test." He had been, for a long time now, suspicious of Julie's abilities to brew potions. It took a certain amount of magic to control the steady brewing of delicate materials. Proof in point, _squibs _couldn't brew potions. So how could a _muggle_?

Hermione bid her father good night and left for dinner, feeling very confused. What was he getting at? Julie was not a witch. It would be impossible, wouldn't it?

* * *

><p>Julie shifted uncomfortably under the stare of Severus, Albus Dumbledore and her former school mate in the Three Broomsticks pub. She knew that to say this now, before things went any further, would be best. "Two firewhiskey's and a mulled mead." Rosmerta, the pleasant blonde barmaid, carefully set down the drinks around the small table and seated herself in the empty chair. The pub was nearly empty now, as the night slowly became morning.<p>

"I thought I recognized you before," Asha Rosmerta said appraisingly as she looked over the brown-haired woman across from her. Julie flushed slightly and played with the top of her glass, "Yes, well...the goal was to not be recognized, to be honest." She said, picking up her glass to take a sip.

Severus, though not known widely for his patience or understanding, was frowning slightly into his own glass as the Headmaster, seated across from him, pushed up his half-moon glasses. "A very good job you did too." He said, his bright blue eyes twinkling with laughter. When he had seen Julie in the living room of Severus' home after the attack in the park a year before, he had not recognized her immediately. It was not until this past summer he had recognized her as the young witch whom had come to him on a peculiarly cold August night, the year after the downfall of Voldemort, with a small child in her possession.

"You've been lying to me for a while now." Severus said after several moments of silence. Julie rubbed the back of her neck, looking away from the potions master in shame. "Yes. Technically I have. I had good reason, you know." She wasn't sure if anything justified what she had done, but she'd had her reasons for doing what she had.

"Asha, you remember our seventh year, right?" She looked over to her former classmate, and the blonde nodded, "Of course. That was a dark year. Jessie's family was killed, Jones vanished over the holidays. It was a dangerous time to draw attention to oneself. And, oh, the rumours; you never knew who you could trust." Asha could remember quite clearly. She had spent the year trying to convince Julie to go into hiding with her family, worried for the muggleborn, but Julie had been stubborn and stayed out her time at the school.

"Don't be so cold Severus." Dumbledore said over his glass of mead, taking in the dark haired man's tense shoulders. "You can't blame her for her concerns. You were two years ahead and in Slytherin. Even years later any cautious witch would do as she has."

Julie quickly drained her glass and sighed. She felt pretty bad right now. She had heard the rumors in the school, the ones about the Slytherin's becoming death eaters. When she had first heard from Hermione, excited as the little girl was at the time, that she had met her father, Julie had been terrified. Though she had been assured by Dumbledore that Severus Snape had changed sides _before_ the fall of Voldemort, she had not been eager to place trust in him. So great had her distrust for him been at the end of school, that when she had been told he was Hermione's father, she had hid the child away in the muggle world with her parents.

"I can be cross with whomever I please. Especially one who would have hid my child from me." Severus shot a dark look towards the brunette and she shuddered, "What would _you_ have done, hmm?" She asked suddenly, standing from her chair. "You get stuck with the child of at least one death eater, and then you find out the surviving parent is likely one themselves. Would you send a mere infant off to someone who could cause it to suffer?" She was breathing deeply with rage now, glaring at him with fire in her eyes. "When I discovered she was your child I was possibly more afraid for her then I had been as Kathrine had tried to mark her!"

It had been a dark day, when she had found Kathrine stumbling through muggle London. She and her parents had been out to celebrate the completion of their new dental office. Kathrine had swooped out of a dark alley, and tried to take them by surprise, but Julie had been faster and disarmed the witch. The force of her spell had knocked the older woman unconscious, and Jane had insisted they take in the 'poor girl'. Julie had begrudgingly apparated the visibly pregnant unconscious woman back to their farm house on the outskirts of a small village not more than an hour from London.

By the time her parents had returned home in the car, she had settled Kathrine into her room in the attic. The cunning Slytherin wormed her way into the hearts of her muggle parents, and she'd spent a month watching the sick woman closely. When September fell, it became apparent that Kathrine wouldn't survive the birthing process, and even the bushy haired death eater had seemed to understand this. They had called a strained sort of truce, in the days leading up to Hermione's birth, though Julie had held her doubts to the other woman's sincerity.

There was a lightning storm the day that Kathrine's contractions started, the air was charged with a powerful mix or magic and electricity so violent that the light bulbs in the house burst. Julie had insisted to her parents that they not take Kathrine to the hospital, certain that it would draw attention to their family. Kathrine was in labor for several hours that day, and Julie had been the one to perform the delivery just before midnight. The little girl was born silent, and far too small to be healthy, but she was alive.

Kathrine had laughed maniacally as Julie frantically cleaned up the premature child and urged it to cry. Somehow, the sickly looking witch managed to get hold of her wand and sneak up on Julie as she managed to get a cry from the baby. Kathrine had raised her wand and tortured the younger woman as she tried to grab the infant. Julie had lain on the floor helplessly, as Kathrine placed her hand on the baby's left arm, and touched her own with her wand, before falling to the floor in a fit. The minute she was sure that Kathrine was dead; Julie had scooped up the wailing infant and fled the room.

"I don't know how, or even why Kathrine died that night, but I saw her mark, and I saw what she did to Hermione!" Dumbledore reached up gently and laid his hand on the furious woman's shoulder, "Come now Julie, take your seat. There is no reason to shout." The brunette threw herself down into her chair, but did not remove her eyes from Severus.

He was glowering right back at her, though he was beginning to see her logic. At the time of Hermione's birth he had been a death eater. He hadn't changed sides until Hermione was already a year old, and even then he hadn't earned Dumbledore's full trust for a while after that. It fell down to his own failures in life, that things had ended the way they had. "Why not reveal yourself when the Headmaster and I came to Jane and David's?" He asked, his voice laced with venom.

Julie laughed bitterly, "I wasn't aware. I knew Hermione had received her letter, but I didn't know you'd been there until after she'd met you." She'd nearly had a heart attack when she'd picked up the exuberant little girl for their weekly outing, and she heard that Hermione had spent an entire day with her father. Alone.

Asha summoned a bottle of firewhiskey from the bar and had it pour itself into three glasses. "Let's not fight now. Dumbledore is right, we should be happy that the truth has come to light now." She held up a glass and urged the others to do the same, "To trust, earned and rightly placed." Julie sighed and held up her now full glass, "To truth and forgiveness." Severus turned his frown on his refilled glass, but held it up to theirs as Dumbledore did the same. He was still upset, but to alienate the only person with answers would do no good, though his mind told him the act was done more for the sake of his soft spot for the brown haired witch.

* * *

><p>End chapter nine!<p>

Ok, so I've gotten a few questions about Hermione's relationship with the dynamic duo.

I'll grant it's pretty tricky to sort out the dynamics I've changed, but the nature of their friendship is much the same as in the original series.

Hermione rather admires Harry; in sort of a sisterly-brotherly way, though at this point in the story, she really just prefers his company over Ron's because Harry has slightly more capability to think before he speaks.

As for Ron; this is the dynamic I've changed most. According to Rowling Hermione likes Ron, and is hurt by his tactlessness, but doesn't actually ever stop liking him. (roughly) However; no offense to fans of Ron, but, I don't think Hermione should like him. And in my stories, so far, she's more just been tolerating his presence because he is Harry's best friend, and you can't have one without the other. This'll change a bit more later on; in fact by the end of Year Three they come to an accord, and are actually friends.

And now for the really tricky part: Draco. As you can likely guess by all my blatant hinting, this is going to evolve into a Dramione finish, however she's going to remain strong friends with the duo. As of now, she tends to side with Harry and Ron over Draco on several matters, but that's mostly Draco's fault. If you read carefully, our favourite Slytherin boy is not as pretentious and snobbish as he is in either the books or movies, but he does retain a good chunk of it. In fact, when it comes time for Hermione to hit him, you're going to be rooting for her to do it, just as much as you did the first time you read the Prisoner of Azkaban.

I don't want to say much else, because everything is still evolving and changing, and who knows where inspiration will take me.

Now that I have that sorted out; who likes my second and third twist?

Not only is Julie a witch; Kathrine _DID_ try to mark her baby!

However this is what I meant when I said the twist was improbable.

Let's recount the facts:

Hermione was about three months premature  
>Kathrine was with the Grangers for one month before giving birth<br>therefore the conversation between Kathrine and Voldemort which Hermione heard from the Dementor's took place when Kathrine was five months along, give or take. I'd like to think the reason it imprinted in her underdeveloped mind was because of the surge of dark magic that flowed from the attempted mark.


	10. Dear Santa: Shove Off

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Ten: Dear Santa: shove off

Disclaimer: Don't own the bulk of the story, but I do own some warm flannel pj's that are keeping me warm enough to write!

* * *

><p>The next morning, despite her best attempts to sleep, Hermione was awoken early to the sound of Archie pecking away at her window. "Alright, I'm up..." She rolled out of bed and fell to the floor, before scuttling towards the widow and opening the latch. The tawny owl flew in and landed on her shoulder, covering her with snow. "Yeesh, did you have to do that Archie?" She pulled at her pajama shirt until the cold, wet snow fell out. Her owl hooted and nipped her earlobe affectionately as she shut the window.<p>

She retrieved the letter fastened to his leg and opened it quickly. It was from her father. Julie had apparently arrived the night before. She raised an eyebrow at the letter and snorted. There was _no way_ that Julie had managed to step into the castle. Not a chance. _No._ She slipped on her robes and slippers before slipping out of her dorm room. Her father had instructed her to come down for breakfast in his office in half an hour, in the letter. While she was a little annoyed it was only seven, she knew Harry and Ron would not be awake for a while, thus it would be a perfect time to go and witness her father's bluff.

She slipped out of Gryffindor tower with Crookshanks purring in her arms and bid her owl leave at the first opened window she found, two presents tucked into her pockets. On the off chance that Julie _was_ here, she felt she ought to bring her sister's present down as well; she was just thankful it was small enough to be hidden if Julie was not there.

* * *

><p>Severus was seated in his office, a fire blazing merrily for warmth and light, with Dumbledore and Julie. He had known, though not the full extent of details, that Julie could not possibly have been muggle. And he'd been right. The truths that had come to the light the night before however had been very unexpected. He had spent the night stewing over what had been said, and begrudgingly come to accept the fact that he owed Julie far more than he cared to admit. It had seemed cruel at first that she had so chosen to keep his child away from him, but he had to admire the bravery she had shown in her attempt to protect Hermione from <em>any<em> threat.

There was a knock at the door, signaling Hermione's arrival, and Julie was all too happy to be the one to open the door, and escape at least some of the disturbing looks coming from Severus. "Hermione!" Julie squealed as she opened the door and found her 'little' sister standing there in her bed clothes, holding a large ginger cat. The Gryffindor girl yelped and nearly dropped Crookshanks as she realized that Julie was, in fact, here in Hogwarts. "JUILE? But how?"

Julie rolled her eyes playfully and pulled the thirteen year old into the room with a sheepish smile. "I've -er- got some explaining to do." She was nervous, and Hermione vaguely remembered the beginning of the summer, when Julie had nervously informed her of the relationship budding between her and Hermione's father. "I bet." The young brunette said calmly, trying to firmly control her confusion.

Once they were all seated around the fire, glasses of mimosa's in their hands (Hermione had been slightly shocked to find hers actually contained champagne, her father had always seemed too controlling and protective for that,) Julie began speaking.

"I was once, quite a few years ago, a student at Hogwarts." Hermione noted the guarded look in her father's eyes and grimaced. "My wand is Holly, thirteen inches, very bendy, and contains unicorn tail hair. I was sorted into Ravenclaw, two years behind Severus." Severus drained his glass and refilled it quickly. He was still somewhat kicking himself mentally for never having recognized her, though truth be told his attentions had been so focused on the Gryffindor students in school that he'd paid little attention to the other houses.

Hermione analyzed the information, swirling the glass in her hand, "So are you a fully-fledged witch then?" She asked, ire buzzing under her skin at the thought that her dear sister, whom was almost more her mother than Jane or Kathrine, had kept such a secret. "Yes, after graduation I used everything I had learned to protect the farm house. It was only a two short months after I left school that I found Kathrine stumbling about, pregnant and dying."

She took a ragged breath as she felt the air in the room become, if possible, even more tense. "I recognized her from school, though I'd had no idea whether or not she had been a death eater when I brought her home. I'd assumed she'd been attacked and only barely escaped with her life. It wasn't until she had given birth that I learned the truth." She winced at the memory. Hermione was on the edge of her seat, leaning in as close as she could to her older sister, shaking with anticipated horror. Severus and Dumbledore were barely able to restrain their own horror. Julie had been too weary the night before to reveal the story, and the pub had not been a secure enough location.

"We were in the room alone, with Hermione wrapped tightly in thick pink blankets, wailing from the basinet beside me; I was trying to make sure that she was alive. Kathrine was laughing madly, twirling her wand in her hand, her forearms bare for my view. She had recognized me from school when I had unarmed her on the streets of London. We'd called a truce after she'd been at our house for two weeks, but I had never believed her sincere. She'd said she wanted her half-blood child marked, and I lost my composure. "

"While she was twirling her wand, still very weak, and dying, she told me she was marked, and when she touched the baby, so would she be. She tortured me when I placed myself between her and the basinet. From my huddled place on the floor, too weak to stand, I asked her who the father was, hoping against the odds that he would be better, but she claimed him unimportant." Julie stopped to take a few deep breaths and shoot Severus an apologetic look.

"She pressed her wand tip to the dark mark on her arm, and had a fit. She died then, and I asked mother and father to adopt the baby, as they had grown slightly attached to Kathrine in the time she was at our home." She drained her glass and set it down on the small table beside her seat. "They realized pretty quickly that Hermione was a witch. By the time she was six months things were flying about on their own, books reading their own stories out loud, and music turning off and on. So I took over the chief care of her, using my own magic when needed to settle hers."

Severus stood from his seat and walked to his desk, a dark brooding look on his face. "So why not reveal yourself when I got my letter?" Hermione asked, bothered by the secret that had been kept from her. "Well, I didn't think anything would come of it if I did. And then Severus came by that first Christmas, and there was that minor panic attack. I'd been separate from this world long enough that I'd forgotten something as significant as the dark mark, though I'd seen it a fair few times before Hermione learned to control her magic a little."

A sudden hush fell over the room and Severus was kneeling in front of Julie in a flash. "What do you mean?" He rasped, his voice faltering. Julie swallowed hard and leaned her head forward to rest on his shoulder, seeking comfort. "When she would get upset or angry, a faint black outline would appear on her arm, though her arm was normally bare. As she learned control, it vanished, and we forgot about it. I'd stumbled upon a discarded version of the daily prophet shortly after V-Voldemort disappeared, so I thought it was all over with." Severus wrapped his arms around her tentatively and asked, "When was the last time it showed up?" Julie shuddered, "When Hermione was three."

Hermione was pale now, thinking as far back as she could remember, trying to recall if she'd ever remembered such an occurrence. She couldn't. Dumbledore was staring gravely into the fire, elbows resting on his knees and his chin resting on his folded hands. "That answers a lot of questions." Hermione said after a moment, carefully tucking away each new piece of information. "But why now?" She asked, as Julie turned her head to face her. "I've been debating the need to say anything at all, but things became complicated over the summer, and I began to plan how to say it."

From the corner of the room an old grandfather clock chimed eight, and breakfast platters appeared on Severus' desk. "Ah, just on time. Enough talking for now I think. Let us enjoy this wonderful meal." They didn't bother to argue with the Headmaster, knowing there would be no point. "I believe young Miss Granger will want to go and open her presents with her friends after breakfast, and we may attend to the details then."

* * *

><p>Hermione shuffled back into her dorm room just before nine, with Crookshanks wrapped in her arms, and began unwrapping her small stack of presents. She received extra toothpaste, floss, and a new toothbrush from David, and a small bottle of pretty smelling perfume from Jane. Mrs. Weasley sent her a warm knitted toque, and a mince pie. Harry and Ron's presents were the only ones she did not find to be amusing; the former having gotten her a spellcheck quill, and the later a fanged frisbee. She was heartbroken when she realized Draco had returned her gift for him unopened, but covered in stink sap.<p>

"Stupid bloody boys. All of them. I hate them all." She growled, ripping the soiled wrappings from Draco's gift. If he didn't want it, then she would keep it herself. She pulled open the box and withdrew the, mercifully clean, elegant cloak. It was almost completely black, but glinted green under the lights. She felt foolish for having ever bought it now; it had been meant as a peace offering. She tried it on herself but it was much too long, as she was nearly a head shorter than Draco was. "I'll give it to Julie." She decided, folding it and setting it on her bed. "C'mon Crookshanks, let's go see if the boys are up, shall we?"

The ginger cat leapt on to her shoulder purring loudly in her ear, and she shifted him to her arms, "You're too big for that Crooks." She laughed, putting her bad mood to the back of her mind as she made her way to the boy's staircase.

She opened the door to the third year boy's dorm and gasped. Harry was clutching a very _new_ racing broom, and judging by the look on his face, she guessed he had not been the one to buy it. He looked shell shocked, as Ron was drooling over himself with eyes the size of dinner plates. "Happy Christmas." She said warily, setting down her cat. Ron immediately leapt forward and grabbed Scabbers from the depths of his bed, tucking the rat into his shirt pocket. "Don't bring him in here!" He hissed, waving his finger in the direction of the now grumpy cat.

Hermione rolled her eyes and ignored the boy, "Oh, Harry, _who_ sent that?" Her eyes roamed over the handle and stopped on the glittering gold letters which read '_Firebolt_'. The dark haired boy shrugged casually and ran his fingers gently over the handle, "No idea. There wasn't a card." She took an involuntary step back and bit her lip in apprehension. "What's wrong with you?" Ron asked, drawing her attention from the broom long enough for her to give him an exasperated look. "It's a bit...odd...isn't it? This is the top broom on the market, right?" She knew it was, of course, as Draco had drooled over a picture of it during the summer when it had been released. "Who would buy something so expensive, and not even send a small note with it."

Harry and Ron gave her befuddled looks and she sighed. Of course they weren't going to pick up on this with subtlety. "Who cares? Harry, can I have a go on it?" The red head asked excitedly, brushing off her concerns. Harry opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off quickly. "I don't think _anyone_ should ride that thing just yet!" She was about to continue to explain her concerns when Crookshanks leapt at Ron's chest pocket with his claws at the ready. In the span of three seconds the lanky boy toppled to the floor, clambered to his feet, clutching his rat, and attempted to kick her cat, missed and hit Harry's trunk.

Hermione shrieked and dove to catch Crookshanks before he could retaliate to Ron's attempted cruelty, and Harry's trunk was toppled. The contents spilled onto the floor, and the tiny sneakoscope spun on to the floor, whistling like a kettle. "I'd forgotten about that." Harry said as he plucked the noisy device from the floor so it lay spinning and whistling in the palm of his hand. Crookshanks twisted violently in Hermione's arms but she refused to let him go as she backed away from the boys.

"You'd better get that cat out of here Hermione!" Ron said furiously as he hopped back to his bed. She glowered at the boys but left quickly, bringing Crookshanks back to her dorm room. "Stupid boys." She muttered, placing the ginger cat on top of her quilt. "You should probably stay put in here, Crooks. Otherwise Ron might try to hurt you again. But you really ought to try and restrain yourself around Scabbers, you know. He's a pet too." She petted him on the head, and he purred apologetically.

* * *

><p>Lunch was going to be awkward, Julie decided, as she was sitting with Severus alone in his office. "You can't be mad at me forever. It's not like I really went out of my way to hide my magic from you for the last two years." She said nonchalantly, toying with her holly wand. She had brought it with her, just in case, after digging it out of its hiding place in the wall of her closet. She had been using it more and more since Hermione had started at Hogwarts, but it had lain dormant for seven years while the girl grew up.<p>

"I'm not mad." He replied, working diligently on his potion. Tonight was the full moon, and he needed to get the potion to Lupin before the lunch hour feast. "Bullshit." Julie muttered, crossing her arms over her chest and looking into the fireplace, "You're angry I told Dumbledore to keep Hermione a secret." His face twitched slightly as he dropped in the last ingredient and potion began to smoke. "I do not deny that I am displeased. However I understand your reasons." He ladled the potion into a goblet and made his way to the door. "Would you get that? I'd rather not spill and have a wolf on the loose tonight."

Julie's eyebrows shot up in surprise and hurried to get the door. "What's-his-face...the Gryffindor prefect...I can't remember his name...he's teaching here?" She followed him down the hall closely, blushing as he chuckled under his breath at her. "Yes." He replied as they went up a staircase lined with enchanted holly branches. "I've heard...that is, Hermione mentioned in one of her letters, Sirius Black is in the area. Isn't Dumbledore worried that his friend will...you know?" She dropped her voice as she spoke, not wanting to risk being overheard; she remembered that even when the halls _seemed_ empty at Hogwarts, they were not always so.

"No, the Headmaster believes Remus Lupin would do nothing to aid the murderer." Severus replied as they turned down the corridor that would lead them to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room and Lupin's office. "Hmm. Well...Dumbledore has been right so far. I mean he told me to trust you, so if he says to trust...er, Remus Lupin? Then I suppose we should." She said evenly, stumbling slightly over the one-time-prefect's name.

Severus rolled his eyes, "Would you knock?" She clambered forward and knocked on the door quickly, trying not to blush again as the potions master smirked at her. He had a way of making her feel like she was a silly school girl with a crush again. Not that _he_ knew about _that._

"Who is it?" Lupin's voice called out, and she watched the amusement drain from Severus' face quickly. Apparently, he'd never forgiven the former Gryffindor. "Severus Snape, I have your potion." The door opened a moment later and a very tired looking Remus Lupin poked his head out. "Ah yes, thank you Severus. Sorry I was -" his brown eyes fell upon Julie and he blinked in confusion. "I know you..." His eyes traced over her face and he broke out into a grin, "You're that Ravenclaw girl. The one Sirius fancied! Er...sorry." He cleared his throat awkwardly and accepted the steaming goblet from the potions master hastily.

Julie blushed, yet again, and cleared her throat as well. Yes, she remembered _that_ quite well. "Erm, yeah. I'm Julie Granger." She made to offer her hand, but stopped as he retreated into his office and closed the door. "Hmpf. _That_ was rude." She grumbled, stomping away, so Severus had to follow her.

"You didn't expect much else from him did you?" He asked as they reached an empty corridor. "Yes, I did. We were sort of friends once," She leaned against the cold stone wall and sighed. "You couldn't even remember his name." Severus leaned into the wall beside her and tentatively wrapped an arm around her. "I said '_sort of_' didn't I?" She laughed, leaning into his shoulder, taking a deep breath of his cinnamon and smoke scent.

"So," a smirk tugged at his lips and she rolled her eyes, "that sneaky Black fancied you did he?" She chuckled and turned so she was leaning against his chest, "Yeah. But I always had my eye on someone else, truth be told. Although there was times when I could use his fancy to my advantage." She had, once felt bad for pretending to like the rugged older boy, but it had changed quickly. When she had been in her third year and the others in their fifth, Sirius had been bragging about his pranking skills to try and impress her. He told her of one in particular that was in motion to rid the school of a sneaky Slytherin and she had panicked and run looking for a prefect.

The entire school knew of the rivalry between Severus Snape and the Gryffindor boys, regardless of their year. She had failed to find a prefect, but with some luck she had stumbled upon James Potter in the entrance hall. She repeated what Sirius had said and the black haired boy had gone pale and run from the school as fast as he could. She followed as best she could, but arrived as Dumbledore did. She saw the Gryffindor seeker pulling a terrified looking Severus out of a tunnel beneath a tree, and ran back into the castle as soon as she heard 'werewolf'.

"Well, Ravenclaw are known for their cleverness." Severus said, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled lazily and pulled back, "Time for the feast, isn't it?" He chuckled and followed her down the corridor to the great hall.

* * *

><p>Hermione sat nervously beside her older sister at the single table set up in the great hall. Harry and Ron were on her other side, and she had <em>tried<em> to explain the situation to them, but she'd been tuned out as Christmas crackers appeared. "Merry Christmas!" Dumbledore had exclaimed cheerily as they had taken their seats. The Headmaster was now holding one end of a cracker, with her father holding the other. She winced at the loud bang and bit her lip to keep from laughing as her eyes fell on the (rather ironic) hat which had emerged. It was an exact duplicate of the witch's hat topped with a stuffed vulture that Neville had forced the Boggart Snape into back in September.

Julie gave the hat a funny look and turned to her sister, "What's so funny?" Hermione snickered softly and in a hushed voice explained the Boggart situation to the older brunette as Dumbledore placed the ridiculous hat upon his head. Julie laughed under her breath as the story finished and earned herself and Hermione a dirty look from Severus.

Just as the food began to appear on the table, (Hermione had split the last cracker with Julie and ended up with a bright pink witches hat,) the doors to the great hall opened to reveal Professor Trelawney. "Is that old fraud _still_ here?" Julie hissed into Hermione's ear as the bangled and glittering older woman approached the table. "Yep." Hermione replied.

"Sybill! This is a pleasant surprise!" Dumbledore greeted her with his slightly over-the-top enthusiasm, rising to his feet to draw up a chair for her. She informed them all, in her sleepy voice, that she had seen herself abandoning her solitude in her crystal ball. A derisive snort was heard from Professor McGonagall. As the chair was drawn from the air, the glittery Professor looked around the table and her mouth dropped in silent horror. There were currently twelve people seated for the feast.

"I dare not! If I join we shall be thirteen!" Hermione raised an eyebrow at the eccentric Professor, "Never forget! When thirteen dine together, the first to rise shall die!" Hermione wasn't sure what was more amusing; the snort of laughter from McGonagall or her father's pointed look that she was certain meant 'don't rise first'. "We'll risk it. Take your seat Sybill." McGonagall said impatiently, crossing her arms over her chest, "The turkey is getting stone cold."

The Divination Professor took her offered seat, looking as though she expected to be struck by lightning for doing so. The meal commenced after a few moments, and the air was tense as they piled food onto their plates. "But where is Professor Lupin?" The mystic's voice broke the silence, and Hermione bit her tongue at the same time as Julie. She gave her sister an odd look, but decided not to question the behavior while at the table. No doubt she'd have plenty of time to talk to her later.

The feast ended a while later and Hermione, full of pudding and stuffing, and (on subtle prompting from her father) turkey, asked Julie to come for a walk around the grounds. "I want to go enjoy the snow, but students aren't allowed out on their own." She explained softly, earning two derisive snorts from Harry and Ron.

"Yeah, a muggle's real helpful." Ron muttered under his breath, and Hermione wanted to reach past Harry and smack him. "If you ever _listened _to me, Ron," she hissed, "you'd remember I was _trying_ to tell you Julie is a _witch_ too." All she managed to accomplish was to make the boys rise from the table together and draw the horrified attentions of Trelawney. "I doubt it will make much difference who rose first." Said Professor McGonagall, "Unless there is an axe man waiting to slaughter the first to leave the hall." The entire table laughed, excepting Trelawney, and the mood was sufficiently lightened. "You coming?" Harry asked Hermione lazily, and she shook her head. "Er no, not yet. I need to speak with Professor McGonagall." The boys left shortly, followed soon by Trelawney and the only other students at the table, two nervous looking first years, and the hall was bathed in silence for a few moments.

Hermione looked around nervously and blurted out, "Harry's received a broom." At the confused looks around the table, she sighed and explained further. "There was no note and it's a...a Firebolt." McGonagall gasped and stood from her seat, "He hasn't ridden it has he?" Hermione shook her head quickly, "No he seemed to be in shock earlier, they, that is, Ron, seemed to think it was from a Professor. But I think it's most likely from Black."

Dumbledore rose from his seat as well, looking gaunt. "This is indeed a situation which requires action. Minerva, fetch the broom. Filius," Professor Flitwick looked up at the Headmaster in mild shock, "would you be so kind as to assist in stripping the broom?" Hermione gaped at the Professors and rose to her feet unsteadily, "W-what do you mean s-strip it? They'll _kill_ me if it's ruined!"

Julie pulled her back down into her seat and ruffled her bushy curls, "Don't worry so much kiddo. If it's fine, they won't be able to tell the difference." She didn't relax though, as she caught her father's delighted sneer. No doubt he was thinking of Quidditch and the improved odds for knocking Gryffindor out of the running if the seeker were depressed by the loss of such a fine broom.

McGonagall swept from the great hall in a hurry and Hermione ran after her, suddenly wishing she hadn't said a thing about the broom. "Please Professor; it won't take long for you to check it, will it?" She huffed, running to keep up with her head of house. "Miss Granger, it may well take weeks. To jinx a Firebolt would take the darkest of magic, and to uncover it would be difficult." Hermione whimpered as they reached Sir Cadogan's portrait, "Scurvy cur." McGonagall said swiftly and they swept into the portrait hole.

Hermione felt dread build up inside her as her eyes fell on the broom suspended between the boys, glinting beautifully in the firelight. "That's the broom is it?" Hermione scrambled up to her dormitory steps and summoned her cloak and the one she'd meant for Draco, trying very hard to ignore the glares pointed her way as the head of Gryffindor house examined the broom. "And there was no note?" Minerva asked, rolling the broom in her hands, examining every inch.

Harry replied with a dull "No." And there was a deep sigh from the elderly witch. "I see. I'm afraid I need to confiscate this then." Hermione felt the somewhat fragile friendship she shared with the boys slipping away as their head of house explained that the broom would be stripped for curses. As soon as McGonagall left broom in hand, Ron rounded on her in fury. "What did you go running to McGonagall for?" She stood tall under his glowering glare, although she rather wished to run, "Because! I thought, and McGonagall agrees, that the broom was probably sent by Sirius Black!" She stormed out of the common room then, leaving both boys gaping.

Hermione wound her way through the castle to the entrance hall before she realized she had not remembered to ask Julie to wait for her. The hall was empty, and she wasn't sure where Julie could have gone. "Damnit all." She stormed out the castle doors and wandered through the snow, delighting in the large flakes that were falling from the sky in swirls. She kept the elegant green cloak tucked inside her own until she reached the Quidditch pitch. She longed to have her broom with her, to fly in the snow and forget her worries. Though she had left her broom at home in her room, and she'd get in trouble for flying unsupervised.

She climbed to the top of the Gryffindor stands until she was eye level with the tallest posts, then she lay down on the wooden bench and stare up into the fluffy grey clouds. After a while, as darkness began to fall, she felt cold and removed the second cloak from its hiding place. "I don't know why I bothered. I ought to just return it." She muttered to herself, lost in her own little world, until she heard the very distinctive meowing of Crookshanks beside her.

She looked at her cat, confused to see him at first, and smiled. "Hello Crooks. I don't suppose you know anyone who could use a cloak, do you? Draco's too much of a prat to deserve this one now." She reached down and scratched behind his ears, making him purr. He batted at her hand softly and pranced away a few feet, before turning back to look at her. "Oh, you _do_ know someone? Hmmm?" She got to her feet, giggling, and followed him down out of the stands towards the forest. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw the big black dog bound out of the trees, at first concerned it was Professor Lupin in his werewolf form. But as she took in the features of the dog, she realized it was at the very least not a werewolf.

Crookshanks meowed up at her and then looked toward the dog, and she chuckled, "Oh I see. He's a friend of yours is he? You want me to give the cloak to your doggy friend." The great black dog watched her wearily as she held out the cloak, and she took in how abnormally thin and lanky the poor beast was. "Well, better than it going to waste, right? I kind of wish I had some food on me too. He looks thin." She kneeled down in the snow and waited for the dog to approach her, speaking in a calm, soft voice.

She wasn't afraid, and she didn't want him to be either. After a short while, and some prompting from Crookshanks, the dog ambled up to her, wagging its shaggy tail, and she wrapped the cloak around him as best she could. "There you go. Dressed all fancy now. Just ignore the initials over the pocket; it was _supposed_ to be a gift for my...er...friend, but he's just a stupid boy. He sent it back unopened!" She ran her fingers through the fur on his head and sighed, "I'd better go back now. Dad's going to _kill_ me when he finds out I left the castle alone. The joys of a teacher as a father, eh?" She got back to her feet and dusted the snow from her clothes, watching the dog prowl off into the forest with the cloak wrapped awkwardly around it.

She made it all the way back to Gryffindor tower undisturbed, and not questioning her luck, she went into the bath she shared with her room mates, and poured herself a relaxing hot bath.

* * *

><p>Ok, so, end of chapter ten!<p>

I've been writting up a storm yesterday and today, roughly seventeen pages covering everything in the Shrieking shack after Lupin's appearance. Yes, I know, bad author still hasn't finished writting Year Three...however I was away from home for more than a week, and was lucky to have been able to update my last two chapters at all.

So this Chapter, Christmas Day, is fabulous; if I do say so myself. A rather good take on how things happened.

However...as for the JulieXSeverus-ness...I don't think I'll be writting too much in the way of fluffy-romanticy scenes for them. Too awkward. I kept this one in because it's just...well, they standing close together pressed against a wall. Yeah. That was weird to write. And I mean, Severus loves Lily still. Only Lily. He fancies Julie, in a way, but don't get too attached. I'll keep the fluff to Dramione...and maybe some HarryXGinny...and RonXLuna possibly. but we'll see. I haven't settled any of that yet.

If there's any big errors, please be patient, I've caught a rather nasty sinus/lung infection (two weeks after my Flu went away at that) and my mind is running a little slow. Not to mention I'm exhausted from coughing.

But I am optimistic about finishing the story either tonight or tomorrow. I only have three more chapters of PoA to cover, which is going to be about five of my chapters (need an extra one for Hermione and Severus to have a lil' chat involving her behaviour in the shrieking shack.) And I'm seriously debating whether Hermione and Draco will continue their tradition of sneaking off to see their marks together, you don't understand why just yet, but you will. It's not simply because of his jumping to conclusions.


	11. A Tumultuos Start To The New Year

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Eleven: A Tumultuos Start to The New Year

Disclaimer: I'd like to say I'm not responsible for the..._long_...AN at the bottom, but that is all mine. It's for any one confused about my twist with Hermione's sort of mark, but I am totally responsible for writing it. Though I'd rather be responsible for writing an awesome book series that made me rich.

* * *

><p>By the start of the new semester, Hermione was tempted to send Archie home to fetch her broom so she could give it to Harry. She had spent the remainder of her days alone in the castle, researching things for Hagrid to present in his case for Buckbeak, or at his hut reviewing them. Julie had hung around until New Years, but remained in the dungeons with her father the entire time. The young brunette tried hard not to take the silence from her father and Julie personally, she knew they had been attempting to build some sort of relationship over the summer, and now it was under pressure.<p>

She threw her quill down, not caring as it blotted dots of ink on her four foot essay. It seemed like there was little hope for happy endings where Slytherin's were involved, but she refused to believe that. She felt lonely, with no one to talk to, even Crookshanks was out of the castle most days, no doubt gallivanting around with the stray dog he had befriended. She sighed and leaned back in her chair so she could stare at the ceiling.

She had cried a couple times, she loathed to admit, but the pressure was bearing down on her from all sides. She knew it was her own fault, for the most part. She had chosen to sign up for all her classes, and had chosen not to drop any yet. She had been the one to offer Hagrid legal help. She had chosen to do it all, and because of that, she felt there was no way out.

* * *

><p>For probably the first time in the week since term had started, Hermione was grateful that Harry and Ron weren't speaking to her. Slytherin had played Ravenclaw today, and she'd been able to sneak down to the Quidditch pitch, without using her time-turner. She wanted to run over and cheer with Draco when he landed with the snitch in his hand, but instead she'd slunk off to the forest and waited for all the students to go by.<p>

* * *

><p>Hermione was working away diligently in the common room late one February night, it was quieter than normal, but not quite quiet enough. Harry and Ron were both out of the common room at the moment, but the rest of Gryffindor house had taken up their tormenting of her where they had left off in the first year, calling her nasty things. Fred and George had taken up calling her 'little snake' in front of others, but no one seemed to have caught on yet.<p>

She shot out of her seat in fury as the Head Boy walked by her table and tipped over her inkwell, ruining her essay for Muggle Studies. "Stop it! Stop it all of you!" Her voice cracked and she felt tears welling up in her eyes, as they were prone to do lately, "You're lucky I don't tell my father what you back stabbing -" a roar of laughter passed through the older students, "Your father, the _dentist_?" She scowled, sorely, _sorely_ tempted to reveal the truth about her other father.

A few more taunts were thrown her way and she snapped. "_THAT_ father could do plenty. But he's not who I -" "Miss Granger!" McGonagall's shrill voice cut her off before she could reveal anymore, and silence fell over the common room as everyone turned to face their head of house. "What is going on in here?" She demanded, and Hermione bit her cheek before replying with a flat, "Nothing." "Well then, if it's nothing, you won't mind this being the end of it."

Hermione shook her head, forcing the anger she felt to go away, though she felt it burning on her arm, she stayed perfectly still. "Does anyone know where Mister Potter is?" Everyone shook their heads, "Ron might." Hermione grumbled, turning back to her assignments, which she would now need to use her time-turner to fix. She gathered everything and made her way down to the library, hoping for some peace of mind there.

She made it all the way down to the library before she ran into anyone. She froze, managing to just barely avoid a collision with Pansy Parkinson out front of the library doors. "Sorry!" She breathed out, dodging around the Slytherin girl to get into the library. She was about to pull out her time-turner, when she heard footsteps approaching her. "Wait! Granger!" Hermione spun on her heel, slightly terrified of what was about to happen, and came face to face with Pansy, who looked rather sheepish.

"Did you need something?" Hermione asked breathily, trying to save face in front of her one-time friend. "Look...I know that last year I said some stuff...but I want to be friends again." Pansy's face was slowly going pink, and Hermione just sort of gaped as the Slytherin held out her hand. "I thought you all hated me. _Especially_ Draco." "Well, I don't always have to agree with my cousin now do I? And... I... I know your secret ok?"

Hermione dropped her book bag and gasped, "How? Who told you? Who else knows?" "Only me. No one told me, I saw you using it." Hermione let out a deep breath and laughed in relief. "Oh _that_ secret." She gladly shook the other girls hand and smiled.

* * *

><p>Hermione rolled up her finished essay for Muggle Studies and heard the clock chime curfew. "Excellent. I'll even beat Harry and Ron back to the common room." She packed her things up and left the library, whistling merrily. She strolled into the common room, completely ignoring the stares she was receiving, and stretched her books and papers out over an empty table in the corner, getting started on a new piece of homework.<p>

The portrait hole swung open a few minutes later, to reveal Harry and Ron, clutching the Firebolt like it was the Holy Grail. Neville stumbled in behind them, and everyone in the common room swarmed in front of them. Hermione let out a sigh of relief as she noticed that the Firebolt looked as perfect as it had Christmas morning, and set about drawing up complicated Arithmancy charts. She was pleased it was back, but this didn't automatically mean they were friends again.

After several minutes the telltale shadows of Ron and Harry fell over her homework, and she looked up. Harry was grinning like he couldn't believe his luck, holding the Firebolt up as if to show her it was okay. Ron, however, was looking supremely smug. "_See_? Nothing wrong with it, bet you feel stupid now." He gloated, leaning over her books and nearly knocking over her inkwell, "Careful! I don't have time to redo _these_ too. And hush! There _could_ have been something wrong with it." She shooed him away and bent over her charts again, "At least now we know it's safe."

Harry nodded, "I suppose. I'd better go put it upstairs -" "I'll do it!" Ron plucked the broom out of his best friend's hands, "I have to give Scabbers his tonic, anyway." The red head disappeared up the staircase, and Harry stood awkwardly for a moment before asking, "Can I have a seat then?"

Hermione sighed and waved her hand dismissively at the chair her bag was resting on, "Go ahead. It's a free world." She watched out of the corner of her eye as the dark haired boy moved her bag to floor and sat on the chair. "How are you doing all of this?" He asked, poking through her stacks of parchment and books. She rolled her eyes, "I work hard, Harry. That's all." She finished her number chart and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "You look as sick as Lupin." Harry said casually.

_Well, that wasn't nice_. She thought wryly, gathering her bag up off the floor, "Why don't you drop a few subjects?" He asked, concern showing on his face as she dug around for her Runes dictionary. "I couldn't do that!" She said quickly. "Arithmancy looks terrible." He said, observing her recently completed charts. "Don't be silly, it's wonderful! In fact it's my favourite subject, it's -" a terrible wail of rage echoed through the common room cutting her off.

In a matter of moments Ron was storming down the stairs, clutching bed sheets, looking so angry she was surprised there wasn't steam pouring from his ears. "LOOK!" He bellowed, shoving the sheets in her face, making her back away in fear. Beside her, Harry was trying to calm down the red head, to no avail.

"LOOK! SCABBERS! LOOK!" He was shouting, and pointing to a stain that looked very much like blood. "Ron..." Harry stood up, but the red head was lost to his anger. "BLOOD! HE'S GONE! AND DO YOU _KNOW _WHAT I FOUND ON THE FLOOR?" Hermione shook her head fearfully, and flinched as the boy threw several long ginger cat hairs on top of her papers.

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><p>Hermione spent breakfast the next day in silence until Ron left the hall in a huff. "Can you believe him?" She asked Harry incredulously, poking at the food on her plate. "Er," the dark haired boy stuttered, and she looked up to see his nervous face, "well...Hermione...you have to admit, Crookshanks probably <em>did<em> eat Scabbers. He's a cat..." She threw her fork down and stood from her seat feeling hurt. "F-fine. You side with Ron. Everything's my entire fault, isn't it Harry?" She grabbed her bag and glared at the bewildered boy, "First the Firebolt, now Scabbers! You know what, just leave me alone. I'm v-very b-busy. I've a lot of w-work!" She stormed out of the great hall.

* * *

><p>Hermione watched the Gryffindor Quidditch team fawn over Harry's broom at breakfast on the 5th. She wished she hadn't snapped at her friend the day before, but one look from Ron (whom might as well have been attached at the hip to the entire team,) told her she wouldn't have been welcomed over there anyway. She left the table without bothering to finish her meal, deciding anywhere was better than there at the moment.<p>

She walked swiftly into the entrance hall and turned right, she would have just enough time to go down to Hagrid's hut before the game, which she figured her house might just kick her out if she didn't have the _'decency' _to cheer for them. She had barely reached the front doors when she heard a voice call out behind her. She turned to see Pansy pulling a very unenthused Draco towards her. "Hi Pansy," Hermione said quietly as the two blondes stopped in front of her, "Hi 'mione!" Pansy smiled cheerfully, pushing Draco closer to the surprised Gryffindor, "My dear cousin here, told me all about the date he ruined, and I decided to set things straight between you two!"

Hermione coughed nervously, as Draco glared at both of them, "Oh, well I appreciate that, Pansy...but I really don't have time for another boy yelling at me over nothing..." The bitterness in her voice was palatable, but she kept a forced smile as she spoke, "I need to go help Hagrid now. I'm his legal advisor for Buckbeak." She took great pleasure in the way Draco winced at the Hippogriff's name. Pansy, despite the rumors against her, was quite clever enough to figure out she'd gotten herself into the middle of a battle of wills. A battle between a rock and a stone, at that. "Oh, right, I heard there was a trial coming up. How's it coming along?"

"Well enough, I wish he'd let me come testify that _someone_ wasn't paying _attention_ in class, and therefore it was _his_ fault, not Buckbeak's." Hermione smirked as the blonde boy took a step back with each word she emphasized. "Fine! Go side with Potty and Weasel and the big great OAF! That beast attacked me! I suffered a lot of pain, not that _you_ care!" Draco shouted back, a little spit flying from his mouth as he stormed off, leaving the two girls behind.

"If the idiot paid any attention," Hermione whispered, "he'd _know_ Harry and Ron haven't spoken with me since Christmas." Pansy gave her a sympathetic look and sighed, "Yeah, I expect he's just too jealous anyway. He figured you were breaking the date to be with Weasley." Hermione rolled her eyes, "I _told him_ that wasn't the reason. We found something out about Black and I had to return to the castle right away. If it weren't for my '_you-know-what'_, I wouldn't have been able to tell him at all."

"Yeah I figured he'd jumped to conclusions again. Anyway, you'd better get going before any one comes and sees. Just don't forget to come to the match today." Hermione laughed at the Slytherin girl and gave her a mock salute, "Don't worry, that's _first_ on my list. Don't you forget we have to read _Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles_ by Monday." She left quickly as she heard footsteps approaching, and run most of the way to Hagrid's hut, where he was waiting outside for her. "Hello Hermione. You mind if we jus' head up ter the match today?" His gruff voice was full of excitement and he had his binoculars hanging around his neck like he usually did.

"Sure, you won't be able to see Harry with those today though. He'll be too fast." She smiled up at the giant man, "Blimey, got 'is Firebolt back then?" "Yes, on Thursday." She saw the large man look behind her and she sighed, "Ron won't be joining us, if that's who you're looking for. He's convinced Crookshanks has eaten Scabbers and he's blaming me for his carelessness with his own pet."

They walked up to the pitch in silence after that, and found seats. The game began soon after with tumultuous applause, and Hermione laughed despite herself at Lee Jordan's commentary, as he boasted the qualities of the Firebolt, only to be scolded by Professor McGonagall. It quickly became apparent, even to Hermione with her lack of knowledge for flying techniques that the Ravenclaw Seeker, Cho Chang, didn't have much planned in the way of tactics. As all she did was try to copy Harry's every move, and when she could, cut him off and cause him to lose sight of the snitch.

With no small amount of pride, the Gryffindor girl watched Harry go into dive after dive to throw off the pretty fourth year Ravenclaw. After a few minutes, there was a loud gasp from a number of students in the stands and every eye turned to what appeared to be three Dementors. Hermione furrowed her brow as she took in the cloaked figures as Harry shot a magnificent spell at them. They were not Dementors, she decided, as the silvery stag the seeker had conjured knocked them off balance, as she did not feel the creeping cold, or hear the dark and raspy voices. Moments later Lee Jordan was announcing Gryffindor's victory, and Professor McGonagall was on the field removing the cloaks from four very scared looking Slytherin's.

Hermione scowled deeply as she saw Draco's unique hair colour amongst the four boys, and she was suddenly rather glad that she wasn't dating the prat. How could he try to sabotage a Quidditch match? That was low, even for a Slytherin.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, in Gryffindor common room, Fred and George were passing around bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz and tossing various Honeydukes sweets around the room. It seemed, in light of the favorable outcome of the game, the rest of Gryffindor house was willing to forgive her for narking on Harry's broom; except perhaps Ron. That particular red head was tossing dirty looks at her over his shoulder every now and then. So she kept to herself at her corner table, surrounded by homework, trying to read <em>Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles<em> over the noise.

"Hermione!" Harry came over to her table with two butterbeers in his hands, and pushed one towards her. "Did you even come to the match today?" She rolled her eyes as she took a sip of the offered butterbeer, "Of course I did. I'm very glad you - we - won, you did rather well, but I do need to read this by Monday..." She kept her eyes trained on her book, which she had barely started, and felt the exhaustion of the day catch up to her. She had opted to repeat the entire day twice, in order to finish enough homework to have tomorrow afternoon off to relax and have tea with Hagrid; so she had now been awake nearly thirty hours, read two other books, written five essays, and two question sheets. Not to mention her abysmal palmistry chart for Divination.

Harry gave her a concerned look, "Why don't you come and have some food, or something? Join the fun, take a break." She tried to scoff at his suggestion, but the sound came out high pitched and breathy, "I can't! I've still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to go Harry, and anyway, I doubt _he_ wants me to join in." She tilted her head towards where Ron was seated, and as if on cue, the red head made a very loud comment about how Scabbers had used to love fudge flies, and if he'd still been alive he could have had some. Hermione felt her last bit of strength snap at the words, and tears blurred her vision as she tucked her enormous book under her arms, knocking her butterbeer to the floor, and she ran as fast as she could up the steps to the girl's dormitory.

She was still reading at three in the morning, long after every one had fallen into their beds, when she thought she heard shuffling in the common room. She fought with herself for a moment, and when she heard a blood curdling shout of terror from the boys dormitories, she leapt out of bed, wand in hand, and left the winding staircase in search of what was happening. She heard the hurried footsteps of someone running, and arrived in the common room to see the portrait hole swinging closed as someone left.

Within minutes the common room was swarmed with boys, and Percy was trying to enforce his power as Head Boy to get them back to bed. This of course was not working in the slightest, as Ron was blubbering in sleepy fear about Sirius Black. Professor McGonagall showed up as Percy and Ron began to shout back and forth, and the room was forced into silence as she demanded an explanation. "IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE, PERCY! PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME WITH A KNIFE!" Ron exclaimed, in his ever subtle way, gesturing wildly with his hands as the Head Boy attempted to explain the situation he knew nothing about to the head of house.

Hermione stood in the shadows of the stairs to the girl's dormitories, clutching her wand to her chest, she took a deep breath and stepped into the dimly lit room as Ron opened his mouth to shout again. "Ask Sir Cadogan. I saw...well, I saw the portrait swinging shut just after Ron's shouting." She said shakily, trying not to notice the number of eyes on her. McGonagall stepped back out into the hall, and they could hear her questioning the stout knight in the painting. "You - you _did_!" Her voice, full of shock, filtered into the circular room, "B-but...the password!" The portrait's muffled response was too quiet to be heard, but within seconds McGonagall was back in the room, livid, and shouting. "Which person, which abysmally foolish person wrote down the week's passwords and left them laying around!" All eyes turned to Neville, whom was squeaking and shaking in terror.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Hermione was seated in Hagrid's hut, tears burning in her eyes yet again. "I-I don't understand!" She said with a sniff, as she told the gamekeeper about the night before, and the events at the breakfast table. She had rather hoped that Ron might be willing to speak to her today, as she had assisted him the night before in proving to their head of house that he'd been correct, but that had not happened. In fact, he insisted, loudly and in front of many people that she had helped the escaped prisoner into the common room, and set him on him.<p>

Hagrid handed her an oversized, but unused, handkerchief and poured her a steaming cup of tea. "Now, now, don' cry Hermione. I reckon he was jus' scared is all, jumped ter conclusions. He'll come 'round. Always does." He said kindly, patting her on the head with his large hand as she wiped at her eyes with the cloth. "It makes me glad he doesn't know about my relationship with Professor Snape," she said softly, sniffling a little as she took a sip of tea, "imagine how much quicker he'll be to blame things on me when he does find out." "Don' worry, I'll have a good long chat with those two for yeh. Reckon they might jus' listen ter me."

* * *

><p>End chapter eleven!<p>

SON OF A **_GUN_**! Damnit, I almost had my AN finished, and I went to backspace and delete an error, and the internet aparently thought that it meant 'page back' even though I was typing.

SO, (bear with me please,) AS I WAS SAYING; I am very nearly done writing Year Three now. I know I've said that for a while, but I'm closer than ever. I swear. I'm just about to have Hermione and Harry use the time-turner together. Also, I had made this excellent comment about how my ending, while lacking the pizzaz of Rowling's, is still good, and I feel good about it. At first I felt weird straying so far from the original path of the books, but I can't help it. I'd feel like a fraud if I didn't change anything; I mean it's bad enough I'm following the plot as close as I am...but, this is all practice for when I write my own real novel. So...let's just ignore all that shall we?

Onto answering the question I recieved in my review, from someone who's reviewed nearly every single chapter (if not all of them,) of my entire series so far:

Hermione's sort-of-mark. (I'll underline the important parts since it wound up being a little long-winded...)

Here's what we know:

Kathrine was the daughter of Antonin Dolohov and Charity Burbage (divorced by now - oh the pureblood scandal!) as Snape mentions oon Christmas eve to Hermione, when she is looking at the wedding photo.  
>Antonin Dolohov wasis Tom Riddle's oldest and closest 'friend'/death eater. (as I have found on the fan site I use to cross-reference things I need to bring up, but haven't the time to flip through seven books to find.)  
>Kathrine was also a death eater. And while she was pregnant, she tried to have Voldemort place a dark mark over her womb, and on her unborn child. This, (I know, hypocritical moment coming up,) is completely impossible. But the after-effect of the dark magic from the attempted mark is what weakens her body and ultimately forces the early birth of Hermione.<br>Hermione, when she was very little (younger than three,) would have the mark appear faintly on her arm when she lost control of her emotions, according to Julie.

Here's my explanation:

Severus Snape says it best himself, when he is nine-years-old and speaking to Lily under the tree's in the fall, in the second memory he gives to Harry. "They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it." Focusing on the important part of that line, and looking at the incident with Harry and Marge at the beginning of PoA, we get the conclusion that magic is volatile. When you're young, you can't really control it, and that's how you are spotted as a witch or wizard. Now, Hermione, being a premature infant, due to dark magic at that, would be prone to different health problems and such.

Next, if we recall Dumbledore's words in the cave in HBP, "all magic leaves traces, especially dark magic," (not word for word, per se, but that's the gyst of it anyway;) we get my answer. Confusing and circuitous, yes, I know.

Hermione is born quite powerful, despite being premature. Julie know's right away that she will be a witch, and not a squib. Julie even says herself, in the previous chapter, that at times she had to use her own magic to control Hermione's. I would like to think of the mark, though it comes and goes, as Hermione's lightening shaped scar, in a way. She was touched by dark magic, and it's left it's mark. Only, the magic didn't fully reach her enough to leave a lasting impression.

So, when Hermione lost her temper, and her control, the very faint mark would appear, a reminder of the dark magic that had touched her, and its intended purpose. I think we can all agree that Hermione is a very talented witch, even before she reaches school; she does some spells at home and they work just fine. So as she gets older, she gets more control, and her own magic over powers the faint remnants of dark magic that mark her. Making it so that, until she crosses the Dementors, she stays in control over her own magic, and therefore the mark.

I know that seems...odd and pieced together. Truth be told, I'm regretting that twist in particular, however it is necessary for later parts. And...well...it does give the stories a new direction to follow; so I feel less like a transcriber of world-famous-book copies.

Oh geeze...look at me, took a simple answer and added on a third of the chapter's original size. Sorry it's so long-ish. I...er...like to type rather a lot...I get carried away.


	12. Harry Potter 2, Slytherin 0

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Twevle: Harry Potter 2, Slytherin 0

Disclaimer: Don't own it...

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><p>Draco Malfoy wasn't sure what was more humiliating. The fact that he had been bested by Harry in his own prank, or the weeks' worth of detentions he'd received cleaning the dungeons, without magic, while his godfather supervised. "Stupid Potter." The blonde boy hissed under his breath, scrubbing at a nasty stain on a desk top. "I believe that's enough for tonight, Draco." Severus said, making corrections on the most current set of essays from his first year Hufflepuff students, as the clock on his desk chimed midnight.<p>

The boy threw down his scrub brush and ran his fingers though his hair in relief. "Uncle, about tomorrow, it's a Hogsmeade day..." He _really_ did not want to miss a trip to the village so he could scrub the desks. The potions master paused in what he was doing and looked up at his godson, an idea forming in his head quickly.

Severus didn't know the extent of the fight between the boy before him and his daughter, and he wasn't sure he _wanted_ to know the details; however, he could kill two birds with one stone. He wanted to go into the village as well, and he could not do that if he had to oversee a detention. As well, Hermione would likely relax more often if she had a friend on her side again. She had spent a month and a half with no better companionship than that of her cat and Hagrid, and it was plain to anyone she was nearly ready to collapse from exhaustion.

"You may attend the village, on one condition. Should you fail to meet the condition, you will be serving an extra detention." He couldn't help the slightly smug smirk that slid across his face, "I'm aware, to some extent, that you and Hermione have been fighting since before Christmas." Draco leaned back ever so slightly, trying not to let fear show (although he was rather terrified of how his uncle might react if he knew the details.) "In my years, I have learned a few small details about such friendships and arguments. Rule number one, and you would do well to remember this, the girl is always right, even if she is wrong."

It had gone on quite long enough, in Severus' eyes, and he was not going to let it go on any longer just because Lucius liked to tell his son men were above women. That particular damage needed to be undone, right now. "I suggest you buy her a thoughtful, practical gift. You will have your chance to apologize in a weeks' time."

The blonde boy rolled his eyes and scoffed, "I didn't do anything wrong. _She_ blew _me _off twice! _Twice!_" He said bitterly stepping forward to reclaim his wand from the teacher's desk.

Severus felt his eye twitch slightly, and his hands clenched into fists. Yes, he'd been right to assume he did not want to know the details. He had been hoping that it hadn't been a fight stemmed from their forsaken fondness, but alas, once again his luck proved terrible. He leaned forward and placed his face in his hand, feeling the start of a migraine. "You will do it, and you will apologize for however it is you've offended her. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear." He paused between each word for emphasis, cursing Merlin for his awful luck.

"Yes uncle." Draco sulked, picking up his wand, "Don't look so down boy; I've just given you advice that will make your life infinitely easier, ask your mother if you don't believe me. Just don't repeat it to your father." He dismissed the boy quickly and groaned once he was finally alone. Perhaps he ought to use the next day to rest and _pretend_ he hadn't just given the boy advice to help build a relationship with his daughter. He had been hoping to avoid this situation from the beginning. Lucius was very influential over his son, and very dark in his methods of teaching and discipline. Hermione didn't need to be mixed up in that.

* * *

><p>Severus wanted to bash his head against the wall until he lost consciousness. It was lunch, and he'd been having a calm morning, he'd sent Hermione into the village, where Julie was waiting for her, for a relaxing day out, sent Potter to Gryffindor tower, handed out detentions to first years, and come to the conclusion that his forcing Draco to make up with Hermione <em>could<em> result in completely _platonic_ friendship between the two, and possibly _not_ a romantic relationship. What had changed, however, was a muddy, _empty handed_ Draco Malfoy, running into the castle, shouting about Potter being in Hogsmeade, and being a floating head.

Naturally, he had at first thought the boy a liar and trying to shirk off his task, but he recalled that there _were_ passageways out of the castle and into Hogsmeade. It was very likely that James Potter's son would be the snoop to find one that didn't pass by Dementors. So now, he was roving the castle, trying to find Potter anywhere he ought not to be, planning a difficult task for Draco's extra detention. Like maybe send him to the trophy room with Filch for a night.

When he finally did find the very guilty looking Harry Potter, he could feel his migraine returning. "Come with me, Potter." He schooled his features as more ideas came to him. How nice it would be to have a reason to punish one more of the party responsible for his daughter's stress. He led the dark haired boy down into the dungeons, feeling a little better with every step closer to his office.

He ordered the boy to sit once they were inside his office surrounded by dim firelight and a large amount of ingredients he had been re-labeling prior to the interruption from Draco. "Mister Malfoy has just been to see me with a strange story Potter." He drawled, acting as though he was telling a casual story, "Apparently, he was up by the Shrieking Shack, where he ran into Weasley - whom had appeared to be alone." He could practically see the sweat pouring down the young Gryffindor's face, and he continued on. "According to him, he was speaking with Weasley when a large amount of mud hit him in the back of the head. Have you any idea how this might have happened?"

Harry forced a look of mild surprise, as the potions master stared him in the eyes, "I don't know sir." Severus kept the boys stare as he continued again, "Mister Malfoy then saw an extraordinary apparition." Harry fidgeted in his seat ever so slightly, "Care to take a guess at what he saw, Potter?" "I don't know." "It was your head, Potter. Floating in midair." He turned on his heel and walked over to the fire place, "Now what would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Mister Potter, when no part of your body has permission to be?"

Harry was panicking now, he could tell, as the boy tried to claim that his rival was having hallucinations. Severus turned back towards the boy, leaning down to press his hands on the arms of the chair so his face was merely two feet away from Harry's, "Malfoy is _not_ having hallucinations." He sneered, offended the boy thought him thick enough to believe that. Now really, did he look like that idiot Lockhart? "If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you." "I've been up in Gryffindor tower." Harry said quickly, victory flashing through his eyes, and Severus arched an eyebrow at the boy, "And I presume you have someone who can prove that?" He smiled as Harry's face fell, and straightened himself again.

His day was improving already. "Tut tut, Potter. Everyone from the Minister for Magic down puts up countless protections for you, trying to keep you safe and alive. But famous little Harry Potter," he spat out his last name, recalling which parent the boy had inherited the knack for trouble from, "is above the law. Let the ordinary people worry about his safety, while he runs off wherever he wishes, never thinking of the consequences." He was acutely aware of the fact that he had no actual proof against the boy that he could take to the Headmaster.

"How extraordinarily like your father you are boy," he sneered at the mere thought of his own school rival, "he too was arrogant, thinking his small Quidditch talents made him a cut above everyone else. Strutting about the castle with his little friends and followers. The resemblance is uncanny." "My father didn't _strut_, nor do I." Harry shot back quickly, and the potions master fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Your father didn't set much by the rules either; rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup-winners. His head was so swollen -" "SHUT UP!"

Harry was suddenly on his feet, face red with rage. Severus' face went rigid. "_What did you say to me, Potter_?" The nerve of younger students! "I told you to shut up about my dad!" Harry yelled, reminding Severus of his throbbing headache, "I know the truth!" The potions master seriously doubted this. "He saved your life! Dumbledore told me so! You wouldn't even be here if it weren't for my dad!" Well, he had to give the boy moderate credit. He did know part of the story, (though he'd known the boy had figured out as much, as Hermione had mentioned it way back in October.)

"And did the Headmaster tell you the circumstances in which your father saved my life?" He hated remembering that day, it had been the downfall of his dreams, it made him feel sick. "Or did he consider the details too unpleasant for precious Potter's delicate ears?" His voice had dropped to a deadly whisper now, and young Harry bit his lip, giving away the truth. Of course Dumbledore hadn't said a thing about the details; it wasn't his place to say. The old man hardly knew the story, and if Harry was old enough to be gallivanting around like his arrogant father, he was old enough to know more details.

Not that he, Severus, took joy in destroying a young boy's image of his dead father, of course. Truth must always be given, right? "Let me enlighten you, I would hate for you to be running around with a false impression of your father. I bet you think it was all some big act of heroism." Although certain details were forbidden from being revealed. "Your saintly father and his group of precious friends played a highly _amusing_ joke on me that would have resulted in my death if your father hadn't gotten cold feet at the last second. There was nothing truly brave about what he did. He was saving his own skin as well; for he would have been expelled at the very least, had their joke succeeded."

The boy looked slightly crushed at the news, although Severus could tell he didn't believe the story completely. Before the dark haired boy could try to argue with him over the details, he remembered why he was in his office in the first place. "Turn out your pockets, Potter!" He needed proof that the boy was in Hogsmeade; with any luck he'd have a bag of goodies to condemn him. Harry remained still, and the potions master couldn't be sure if it was stubbornness or if he had surprised the boy. "Turn them out! Or we will go straight to the Headmaster boy." The dark haired boy slowly pulled out a bag of Zonko's products and an old bit of parchment.

Severus picked up the Zonko's bag and smirked, ah proof. "Ron gave them to me." Harry said quickly, "He brought them back last time." The smirk dropped from his face slightly, perhaps this wouldn't be quite enough, "And you've carried them around ever since? How touching. And this?" He picked up the parchment, taking not of how old and worn it was. "Spare bit of parchment." The boy said evenly with a shrug. "Surely you don't need such a very _old_ bit of parchment?" It was yellowed and creased in many places; indeed if a student attempted to hand an essay in on such old parchment they'd fail.

"Why don't I just throw this away?" He moved his hand towards the fire, and the boy jumped. "No!" "So! Is this another treasured gift from Mister Weasley perhaps?" He knew he had the boy now. Whatever this was, it was important enough to be saved. "Or is it something else? A letter perhaps, written in invisible ink? Or instructions on how to enter Hogsmeade without passing the Dementors?" Harry merely blinked.

Severus placed the parchment on his desk and withdrew his wand, "Let me see, let me see..." He smoothed the parchment flat on the desk and touched his wand to it, "Reveal your secret!" Nothing happened and the potions master frowned. That ruled out invisible ink. "Show yourself!" He tapped the map sharply, and again nothing happened. Definitely not invisible ink. "Professor Severus Snape, potions master of this school, commands that you to yield the information you conceal!" He hit the map harder with his wand, and words began to appear.

Severus read them as they were scrawled out as if written by an invisible hand, and he froze.

_"Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."_

He was outraged! What a nasty piece of paper! His eyes were caught momentarily upon the presented name; it seemed _familiar_.

_"Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git."_

He could tell the boy wanted to laugh. He restrained himself from tearing up the parchment, however, as it was his only bit of proof.

_"Mr. Padfoot would like to express his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor."_

Never, in his life, had he felt more humiliated, except perhaps once.

_"Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slime ball."_

He was livid now. He swept over to his fireplace and threw in a handful of in-school floo powder into the flames. "LUPIN! I want a word!" He called into the fire, attempting to calm himself enough to keep from shouting. Seconds later, Lupin spun in through the fireplace and was dusting the soot from his robes. "You called Severus?" He asked mildly, taking in the presence of Harry.

"I certainly did." His temper flared slightly, and he spun to retrieve the vile piece of parchment, which was still gloatingly shining its insults up at him. He snatched it up and thrust it into Lupin's hands. The expression on Lupin's face became unreadable as his eyes trailed over the parchment. "Well?" Severus demanded.

He could tell that the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor was doing some very quick thinking, though he was unsure if it was to his benefit or not. "_Well_? This parchment is obviously full of dark magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?" He saw the sharp look that Lupin sent Harry's way, and knew he'd lost. Whatever the parchment was, he wasn't going to get the truth, nor was he getting his proof. Draco was going to pay with the _worst _detention of his young life.

"Full of dark magic?" Lupin's voice was mild, and light, as though he thought this a joke. "Do you really believe so Severus? It looks to me as though this is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who tries to read it. Childish, yes. But surely not dangerous. I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop." Severus could feel his eye twitch slightly, the truth would never be revealed. "Indeed?" His jaw locked with anger, and he exerted a good deal of self-restraint to keep from swearing.

"You think a _joke shop_ could supply him with such a thing? You don't think it more likely he received it _directly from the manufacturers_?" He had a sneaking suspicion, though he could not prove it, that the four offering the insults on the parchment, were actually Lupin's old friends. He knew they'd had code names for each other, though he'd never heard them, and 'Moony' seemed rather _obvious_.

Lupin gave him a blank look that suggested he was crazy, and he glared at the shabby man. "You mean, from Mister Wormtail, or one of these people?" There was the barest hint of amusement in his voice. "Harry, do you know any of these men?" The boy shook his head quickly, and Severus knew the entire situation was lost. "You see, Severus?" Lupin was almost smiling, and the potions master opened his mouth to demand they both leave, when the door burst open to reveal a very out-of-breath Ronald Weasley. "I - gave - Harry - that - stuff, bought - it - in - Zonko's - ages -ago." He huffed and choked, trying to catch his breath.

Severus once again wished he could just bang his head against the wall repeatedly. _Perfect_ evidence. All wasted. Because of the traitorous Lupin who favored Harry like an uncle would. It was sickening. Lupin led the two boys away, with the insulting parchment and bag of Zonko's products, and left him alone in his office.

* * *

><p>February nineteenth came quickly, and Hermione was seated alone in the library, with her sketch pad in front of her. She had drawn out a very sketchy birthday cake with fourteen candles, and the paper was dotted with tears causing the ink to run in places. She had originally planned to spend the night with her father, but he had gone away for the evening to fetch more ingredients for the Wolfsbane potion. She pulled out her time-turner, so it was hanging loose around her neck, glimmering in the light of the library. "Because of this, I have to celebrate alone." She said under her breath, tracing the contours of the device that had stolen a year of her life.<p>

Behind a nearby bookshelf, hidden in the shadows casted by the low lighting, stood Draco with a small box in his hands. He had received an owl from his godfather this morning, explaining that due to 'circumstances' (which were not mentioned,) Hermione would no doubt need a friend tonight. The letter had been brief and so vague that the Slytherin boy had nearly ignored it, though it had quite clearly stated he'd be reliving his detention with Filch on the previous Sunday if he did. But then, just before dinner, in his dormitory, his eyes had landed on the box of spill proof inks he had intended to give her for Christmas. He had bought them just before going to meet her at the Three Broomsticks, and had never gotten around to throwing them away.

Hermione dropped her head onto the desk with a soft thud. Everything was a horrible, horrible mess. And the worst part was she could blame no one but herself. She had bought Crookshanks, she had signed up for too many classes, she had accepted the responsibility of the time-turner, and she had done the whole of Hagrid's defense on her own. It was her fault Scabbers was gone, it was her fault she was turning fourteen today, it was her fault Buckbeak was going to be executed. She had received an owl from Hagrid last weekend, stating he had lost the case. It didn't surprise her. Lucius Malfoy had been at the trial, and he had ways of getting what he wanted.

"This is the worst birthday of my life." She groaned, turning her head to the side so she could stare blankly down the rows of books. She nearly fell out of her chair when she spotted Draco, who looked very confused. "What do you mean 'birthday'? Your birthday is in September." He said after a moment, slowly approaching her table. Her eyes flickered down to her time-turner, and his followed. "It is...normally. I can't explain, so please don't ask." She leaned back in her chair and tucked the time-turner back into her robes. "Anyway, what are _you_ doing here?" He was the last person she wanted to see at the moment. She had only just rebuilt a very fragile friendship with Harry and Ron, and she was exhausted from dancing around their _'feelings'_.

Draco cleared his throat awkwardly and his eyes dropped to the gift in his hands. He held it out to her automatically, as he recalled why he was there in the first place. In the end, it had been his godfathers advice that had convinced him to come; not the threats of detention. He had decided that it was harder to not be friends with her then it was to keep their meetings secret; also he had finally been forced to admit that he had noticed the silent war between her and the Gryffindor boys. Whatever had happened just before Christmas couldn't have been what he'd thought it to be.

Hermione stared at the box; it was covered in a thin layer of dust that suggested it had remained on a shelf for a while. She made no move to accept it however. "You're here to give me a dusty present?" She asked flatly, and his face flushed ever so slightly. "Yes. I - no. That's not why I'm here." He stuttered slightly over his words at first, trying to save face while he still could. She rolled her eyes and gathered her sketch book and quill, "Look, I don't really have time to sit around and wait for you to be mean to me again." She went to walk past him, but found herself pressed against the bookshelf moments later.

"How about you stay and we actually talk?" He whispered into her ear, as his body pressed hers into the shelves. She swallowed nervously, she had thought before that his presence was intimidating, but now it was overbearing. She tried to press herself away from him to create space to breathe and think, but there was nowhere for her to go. "F-fine. Let's s-sit down..." He pulled her over to the chair she had occupied before and made her sit. He dragged a chair out so he was sitting in front of her, and placed the box in her lap.

The air between them grew tense as he held her eyes with his own. "I'll admit I jumped to the wrong conclusion in Hogsmeade." He said evenly, and she flinched at the memory. "I'm...well...I'm sorry I was a prat." His rare apology made her smile weakly, and lower her defenses slightly. "I also regret Christmas." Her heart skipped a beat. "But obviously it's a sign. It's not meant to be. We should just be friends. Casual friends." Her heart dropped out of her chest, and she felt the tears burning behind her eyes. He finally speaks to her, only to tell her it was over before it began.

She dropped her eyes to her lap, blinking back the tears, "Fine." She whispered, and he exhaled in relief. "Good. Now that's out of the way, I have somewhere to be. Catch you later!" He stood from his chair and waved at her, though her hair was covering her face and she could not see. His footsteps faded away and she lost control, tears rolled down her face ferociously, landing on the present until the box was damp. She hiccupped and threw the box as hard as she could against the wall, watching as it bounced to the floor. She slept in the library that night.

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><p>End chapter twelve!<p>

As you can see, I just had to throw in a mainly Draco/Severus chapter! The bit at the end was tacked on because, well, it doesn't fit anywhere else. And it's...er...sort of Dramione. Kinda. It'll lead up to some eventually at least.

I know this chapter is a bit strange overall, but I think it turned out alright, in the end. Hopefully you, my readers, don't mind Severus being slightly out of character too much.


	13. Blow To The Ego

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Thirteen: Blow to the ego

Discalimer: Don't own anything

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><p>Easter weekend hit the castle with a wave of warm sunny days. On the Friday before, they spent the morning in Care of Magical Creatures trying to cheer the gamekeeper up, but they had no luck. He had hurried back to his cabin after having walked them back up to the school at the end of class; and they ran into Draco, Crabbe and Goyle by the front doors. "Look at him blubber!" Malfoy snickered, referring to the retreating form of Hagrid in the distance, and Hermione clenched her fists. She had managed to bury the sadness she felt at his rejection, and replace it with the same sort of friendly feelings she had for Harry and Ron (or so she told herself.) "Have you ever seen anything so pathetic? And he's supposed to be our teacher!" The Blonde Slytherin's voice grated against her nerves, and she advanced on him before Harry or Ron could move, then she punched him in the face as hard as she could.<p>

She felt a great sense of relief as four pairs of bewildered eyes stared at her, and one pair of hurt, angry grey eyes glared at her in stupefied shock. She even felt proud as she'd seen him stagger under the force of her hit, and the way he flinched when she raised her hand again. "Don't you _dare_ call Hagrid pathetic, you foul - you evil -" She was so angry she couldn't even finish her sentence. She drew her arm back again, but Ron caught it before she could swing again.

"Hermione!" Ron said weakly, as she pulled it out of his grip and drew her wand, but he was ignored. She stared down Draco, who seemed to be trying to decide whether or not he should count on their friendship to save him a nasty curse. The smart boy seemed to realize it would not, and he stalked off with his goons following close behind. She stood there breathing heavily for a few moments before she put her wand away and turned to face her friends. They were gaping at her, looking half impressed and half shocked.

"_Hermione!_" Ron, it seemed, was too stunned to say anything else. She turned to Harry with fury in her eyes, "You'd better beat him in the Quidditch final, Harry." Her voice was slightly shrill, but she couldn't lower it, "You just better had, because I couldn't stand to see Slytherin win!" She wanted Draco to hurt, the way he made her hurt. Yes they were friends, and she'd agreed to put things behind them, but everyday had been painful, and he didn't appear to be suffering at all.

"We're due in charms..." Ron started after another moment, "Yeah, we'd better go." Harry added, looking down at his watch. They hurried up to the Charms corridor, and Hermione slipped off to use her time-turner. She still had to attend Muggle Studies. By the end of which, she'd heard from Pansy that Draco had been seen asking Daphne Greengrass to the next Hogsmeade weekend, and her fury was renewed with such fervor that she forgot to attend Charms that day; and fell asleep in the common room over a stack of essays.

She was awoken half way through lunch by Harry and Ron, and when she realized her mistake she wanted to kick herself. She couldn't go back and attend it now; for people had noted her absence. "But how could you forget? You were right outside the classroom with us." Harry asked as she fretted over her mistake. "It was Malfoy! I was thinking about him and I lost track of things!" She massaged her temples roughly and stood up.

"You know what, Hermione? I reckon you're cracking up." Ron picked up her Arithmancy textbook and gave her a concerned look, "You're trying to do too much." She scoffed and tucked her hair behind her ear, "No, I've just made a mistake is all. I need to go speak with Professor Flitwick; I'll meet you before Divination." She left quickly and hoped that the stout Professor would understand.

* * *

><p>Severus was rather surprised after dinner when his daughter showed up in his office, looking nearly as ruffled as his godson had that morning when he had come down to his office with a bloody nose. He had, at first, been weary of the boy's ranting's, when he heard that the cause of his bloody nose was none other than Hermione. Of course, upon listening to <em>her<em> ranting about her disastrous day, he felt bad for not believing the boy.

"Calm down, Hermione. What's happened?" He placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her pacing and directed her into a chair. She took a deep, calming breath. "I quit Divination. And I punched Draco...please don't be cross! I just couldn't stand to hear him talking rudely about Hagrid anymore!" Severus sighed and covered his face with his hand. As a teacher he was _supposed_ to punish students, and physically harming another student was worth a suspension, at the _very_ least. But he couldn't suspend his own daughter. "Detention. For the holidays. You will help me organize the supply cupboard." It was far too lenient, and he could get in a severe amount of trouble if Lucius became involved, but it was the most he could bring himself to do.

Hermione nodded solemnly from her seat, and twisted her hands in her lap, "I'm sorry I let you down father." She said softly, looking away from him. "Hermione -" Severus kneeled in front of the chair so he was eye level with her, and placed his hand under her chin to make her look at him. "You haven't let me down. I'm proud you finally admitted you didn't need that class. I'm even proud of how you stood up for Hagrid today. Just maybe," he offered her a small smile to cheer her up, "next time, let's not punch the son of the man who tried to kill you, hmm?" She laughed softly and threw her arms around him. "I'm sorry I resorted to violence."

He chuckled under his breath and pulled back to ruffle her hair. "Where did you learn to hit like that anyway?" He was rather curious to know just where his _delicate_ little daughter had learned to fight. "Julie. She does kickboxing." He laughed outright this time and sent her on her way to her dormitory.

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><p>The day before the final Quidditch match, Hermione found herself cornered in the back of the library by a very peeved Draco. "Why'd you hit me?" He demanded, as she leaned away from him in her chair, holding a large Arithmancy book in front of herself as a shield. "You deserved it, and you know it. Though I have been told I ought to apologize." She didn't feel bad about having hit him, she doubted she ever would, but during her detentions her father had had a little talk with her about violence at school. If she didn't want to be expelled, or attacked by Lucius, she would need to apologize properly to Draco.<p>

He crossed his arms and fixed her with a hard stare, "Well?" He asked impatiently. She rolled her eyes and lowered her book, "Unless you can sincerely apologize for insulting Hagrid and causing him pain, I can't sincerely apologize for hitting you. Not to mention Daph -" She stopped speaking midsentence and covered her mouth with her hand. She had not intended to mention that last part, but the damage was done.

There was a sickeningly smug smirk twisting his lips, and he let out a cruel laugh. "Oh so _that's_ what this was about. You're _jealous_." She shook her head violently, but he only laughed harder. "This is just _rich_!" He howled, slapping his knees as he doubled over. She felt her face burn horribly and she tried to sneak away while he was incapacitated, however he caught her before she made it very far. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked playfully, tugging her so she fell into his arms.

Her heart raced painfully in her chest, as his body heat engulfed her. "If you wanted another chance all you had to do is ask. I'm sure I can squeeze you in between Daphne _and Hannah_." His mocking tone seeped into her and she fought her way out of his reach, she glared at him in a way that would have made Peeves soil himself, and hissed, "I would_ never _go out with you, you nasty, vile Slytherin _PRAT!_" She gained courage as his smirk faltered, and stepped forward to prod him in the chest as she continued. "And I don't ever want to speak to you again until you can prove you have a shred of decency in you! Now get out of my way!" She stormed past the bewildered boy, and left the library in a hurry.

Draco watched her go and winced. Now he'd gone and done it. He was going to hear it from his uncle now, he was sure. Hermione had offered him a chance to brush the whole thing under the rug, and possibly even have another chance with her, which he had wanted quite badly, but he'd been afraid of rejection. And what had he done? He had teased her, and lowered her to the level of a worthless date, because his pride demanded it. He would now be going to Hogsmeade alone, while Theo would be taking Daphne. He wasn't even sure how Hermione had heard about that; but it was clear her source information had been incomplete.

He sulked all the way to the Slytherin common rooms and found himself being dragged to a quiet corner by a rather sheepish looking Pansy. "Oh good, hope I'm not too late, listen I -" He cut her off with a dirty look and yanked his arm away from hers. "You're too late. I'm going to bed now." He tried to walk away but she grabbed the back of his robes and pulled him back. "No listen! I may have told Hermione you asked out Daphne...which I thought you had, but she's just told me you were asking her to go with Theo. So if you hurry, you could probably convince Hermione to -" "I already said it's too late, didn't I!" He shouted, pulling away and storming up to his dormitory. He wanted to be alone now; he needed to clear his head for the match tomorrow. If he lost the team would likely skin him alive.

He shoved open the door to the circular bedroom and found Blaise lounging on _his_ bed. "What _are_ you doing on my bed?" He hissed, stomping his way over to his best friend. Blaise looked him up and down and rolled his eyes, "Guess Pansy was too late. Oh well mate, I'm sure whatever it is you did _this_ time, she could be persuaded to forget." Draco was beginning to seriously regret informing _both_ Pansy _and _Blaise of his soft spot for Hermione. "Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about; she'll never speak to me again." Blaise casually rolled off the bed and to his feet with a shrug, "Whatever man. I do seem to recall girls _love_ Quidditch champions." He was gone and Draco was finally left to his thoughts, with Blaise's word running rampant through his mind. Perhaps the dark skinned boy was right. If he won the match tomorrow and utterly humiliated Potter, he might be able to convince Hermione to forget their squabble to celebrate.

Hermione stormed into Gryffindor tower and seated herself by Harry and Ron, who were discussing tomorrows match. She sat down rather violently and turned to face the seeker with a hard face, "You _have_ to win tomorrow. Show _no_ mercy." She urged until he nodded nervously. She broke into a wide grin a moment later, sensing that she had made her friends uncomfortable, "Don't worry, you're going to be fine." She said cheerily, day dreaming of victory. The team was called off to bed a few minutes later and Hermione decided to have an early night as well. The days leading up to the match had been much harder on her than she liked to admit. More than once she had bumped into herself on the way to classes.

* * *

><p>Hermione woke early the next morning to find Harry pacing around the common room. "Harry, why are you awake so early?" She asked as she grabbed his shoulders to stop his pacing. He stared at her for a moment, and finally seemed to recognize her. "Couldn't sleep anymore. Have you noticed anything strange about your cat?" She let go of him with a sigh and rolled her eyes, he was fine. "Other than the dog he's befriended, no." "The big lanky black one?" "Yeah." She couldn't quite describe the look of pure joy and relief that crossed his face at that moment.<p>

Harry threw his arms around her and laughed, "Oh thank god! I thought I was going crazy and it was the _grim_!" She pushed the dark haired boy off of her and put her hand to his forehead. "I think you've cracked under the pressure Harry." She said calmly as he pushed her hand away. "I'm fine! Anyway _you're _one to talk about cracking under pressure." She laughed and smacked him playfully, "Don't go there! I can't even express how pleased my father was when I told him I stormed out of Divination." "He's really protective over you, isn't he?" She chuckled and winked at the dark haired boy, "Oh you have _no_ idea."

Silence settled in for a moment as the sun slowly filtered in through the windows. "So, Ron and I have been wondering...since second year, actually...there's something odd about...and then the map..." He floundered around his words, and she groaned as he mentioned the map. He was going to ask, and she wasn't allowed to say. "Harry, I know what you're going to ask." She cut off his rambling and gave him a weak smile, "And I can't tell you. You have to figure it out on your own. Just try not to jump to too many conclusions." He gave her a resigned look and hesitated, "Ok...just tell me one thing?" "Maybe, what is it?" "You're not a child-bride, are you?"

Hermione gave Harry a flat look and promptly smacked him upside the head, "Where in the _HELL _did you get a crackpot idea like that?" She demanded as he rubbed where she had hit him, "It was Ron's idea." He admitted sheepishly, flashing her a grin. "Go try and get some more sleep, you dolt. You need to be on top of your game to beat Slytherin. I need to go take care of something, but I'll see you at breakfast." She shooed him towards the stairs to his dormitory and hurried out the portrait hole, biding good morning to the fat lady (and her troll body guards.) She skipped down the halls, laughing to herself all the way down to the dungeons.

She knocked on her father's door and waited for him to respond. And waited. And waited. Almost half an hour later, as she was beginning to doze off on the floor while she sat up against the wall, her father came into view at the end of the hall. She sprung to her feet sleepily, laughing to herself as he gave her a mildly concerned look. "Shouldn't you be in bed? What time is it?" She shrugged at his questions, "Couldn't sleep anymore. And I wanted to talk to you, because I found out something rather funny from Harry this morning."

Severus opened the door to his office and stepped aside to let her enter. Once they were seated by the fire, each with a cup of coffee, she began, "I found out what conclusion they jumped to last year in the hospital wing, when you were taking care of me." She didn't quite know _why_ she found it to be so funny, perhaps it was the fact he was seeing her older sister, she didn't know. Severus mentally prepared himself for the worst, but was still caught off guard as she told him. "They thought _what?_" He pulled a disgusted face at the very _thought_, how stupid were those boys? Hermione laughed harder at the look on his face until he glared at her. "I hope you set them straight."

"Don't worry, I smacked Harry upside the head, and cleared that idea away. I'll set Ron straight later too." She took a sip of her coffee and fought back any remaining laughter as her father let out a sigh of relief. "Did you tell him then?" She shook her head in response and set down her coffee. "No. I think it'd be better if they figure it out on their own, so they come to grips with it, and I don't get shut out again. Harry's already got a clue though. That damn map is a thorn in my side."

Severus' eyebrows shot up in surprise. He'd thought for sure she'd have told them now, and what sort of _map _could cause such problems? Hermione caught the look on his face and sighed. "I can't tell you about it. All I'm going to say is it lists the _full_ names of everyone in its radius, and my _full_ name includes _yours _apparently." In any other situation, it might have been funny to see her father's jaw hit the ground in shock. "Yeah, that's about what my expression was when I found out too." She said calmly, casually 'forgetting' to mention all the swearing she'd done.

"And how did _you_ find out?" He asked after a moment, making her squirm in her chair uncomfortably, "Well, I'm not sure I should say. It's hardly worth bringing names into this now. There's just a couple of older students who figured this out on their own and confronted me about it. They've already promised me silence, and gave me fair warning that Harry and Ron would likely find out too." Her father's eye twitched and she smiled nervously. "It's all taken care of! Besides, I can out hex them any day."

* * *

><p>Breakfast was awkward. She could feel her father glaring around the great hall as students filed in, trying to detect which older students had figured out the secret. She could also feel Draco's eyes on her from the Slytherin table, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. She was still pretty damned angry, to be honest, but at the same time, she really liked him and wanted things to go back to the way they were before. Ron sat across from her, rubbing the back of his head looking as sheepish as Harry had earlier. She'd met up with him just outside of the great hall and he'd asked her the exact same thing Harry had, so she'd smacked him too.<p>

"Awe, c'mon 'mione! It was an honest mistake!" He said as she ignored him while grabbing some toast. "If you don't want us assuming things, you should just _tell_ us." He tried again and she glared at him. "How many times do I have to tell you? I _can't_ just tell you. You need to figure it out on your -" She was drowned out by a loud eruption of cheering as the Gryffindor team entered the great hall. The only table not cheering was Slytherin.

Harry sat down beside Ron and watched his best friend rub the back of his head, "So she hit you too?" He asked with a laugh. He had to admit, he was so relieved to have Ron's theory disproved that he didn't mind having been smacked. "Yeah." Ron grumbled, piling his plate with food. Hermione rolled her eyes, "It's your own fault Ron. Assuming such things, that's disgusting." She still found it funny, but she was beginning to feel insulted that they'd thought she'd be involved with a teacher like that, seeing as they'd been _twelve _when they'd jumped to that conclusion. Harry chanced a look up at the teacher's table and found Snape glaring at them, and he turned back to Hermione with a questioning look.

"Forget it Harry. Professor Snape is always glaring at our table." She said without looking up, trying very hard not to laugh at how suspicious her friend suddenly was of their teacher. "Harry! I don't see you eating!" Oliver Wood's voice floated down the table and the dark haired seeker began filling his plate, though he wasn't very hungry. He could never manage to eat a good breakfast before a Quidditch match.

The team left the hall a short while later and three of four tables burst into applause. Hermione rolled her eyes as she and Ron finished their breakfasts. The red head was now making guesses about her connection to their potions master in between bites. "Ronald! Stop it!" She said finally, as he declared his new idea that they were cousins, standing from her seat. "You can't just keep guessing until you get it right! I won't tell you when you do!" Her amusement with the 'game' was gone. "Let's just focus on Quidditch today, okay? It's time to go the pitch anyway." She would kill for a few moments peace.

Twenty minutes later they were crammed into the stands with their housemates watching the teams step out onto the field. She almost felt bad for Slytherin, as she looked around and saw that three quarters of the school was wearing red or gold, but she had a feeling that would change by the end of the game. Lee Jordan's voice bellowed over the crowd, listing the players for each team, though it was occasionally drowned out by boo's from the Slytherins.

The game began rather violently. Angelina, one of the three Gryffindor chasers, scored the first goal, and was promptly smashed into by Marcus Flint, the Slytherin captain. It was quite apparent that this game was not going to be pretty, as Fred chucked his beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Each team was given a penalty and Hermione rolled her eyes. "This is going to be a dangerous game." She heard Ron telling Neville cheerfully, over the loud cheers as Angelina scored another ten points, while Flint did not.

The quaffle passed hands a few times, until Katie Bell, another Gryffindor chaser, got possession and sped towards the Slytherin goal posts. Before she could shoot it, however, she was cut off by a massive Slytherin chaser who grabbed her head instead of the quaffle. Needless to say, she was awarded a penalty and scored. Hermione was growing nervous now. Gryffindor only needed two or three more goals before Harry could begin chasing the snitch. She saw the dark haired seeker go into a dive, with Draco hot on his trail, and wondered what the heck he was doing, until she spotted a tiny glint of gold at the opposite end. He was drawing Malfoy away from the snitch.

She held her breath when he pulled out of the dive only to be rushed by the two Slytherin beaters, but laughed along with the crowd when Harry pulled out of their way at the last moment and they crashed into each other. The game continued in its violent manner for a while, and Slytherin scored their first point, both teams received penalty shots again, as Alicia Spinnet was hit by a Slytherin beater, and George elbowed him in the face in retaliation. The score became forty - ten as Alicia scored, and Wood made a spectacular save.

Katie scored next, and Fred and George rushed to her side in case the Slytherin's tried to retaliate, the crowd booed loudly as both bludgers were shot at Wood, winding the Gryffindor keeper, though he managed not to fall, and another penalty was awarded to Gryffindor. Angelina took the shot and scored, and a few moments later, Alicia seized the quaffle and scored again. Gryffindor was now up seventy to ten, and Hermione crossed her fingers as she saw Harry looking around for the snitch in earnest.

The crowd cheered like crazy as the Gryffindor seeker tilted his broom up and began to raise his arm, until Draco grabbed onto the tail end of the Firebolt and prevented Harry from catching the snitch. Gryffindor was awarded another penalty as Lee Jordan, along with quite a few others, swore at the Slytherin seeker for cheating. Unfortunately Alicia was so furious, she missed the goal. Then Slytherin scored, making it seventy - twenty. Hermione watched, with no small amount of satisfaction, as Harry marked Draco so closely that the Slytherin boy couldn't possibly find the snitch. Angelina was speeding towards the Slytherin goal posts, though her way was blocked by nearly the whole Slytherin team, until Harry took a chance and dove in their direction forcing them to scatter.

Ron, along with half the stands, were laughing at the scattering Slytherin chasers as she scored, raising the score to eighty - twenty. Then, all eyes were on Malfoy, as he went into a spectacular dive, a triumphant look on his face, and Harry zoomed after him. The two boys wrestled for a moment as their brooms drew level, and the entire pitch held their breath. Suddenly Harry pulled out of his dive with his arm raised high above his head, clutching the snitch. Hermione actually allowed herself to feel a moment's worth of pity for the Slytherin seeker, before she joined the crowd rushing down onto the pitch.

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><p>End chapter thirteen!<p>

Ok, so I'm not overly fond of the part in Severus' office. I don't like how it turned out, but I didn't want to delete it.

Actually, I had planned to, but I'm in such a bad mood now, I don't have the energy to go and delete it, or re-write it. It's done. that part is well behind where I'm at.

As to why I'm in a bad mood...my cold has developed into one of those coughs that's so freaking annoying it makes your stomach convulse. So I don't get to go to my boyfriend's house for the weekend, and I can't sleep, and I don't have any medicine for it.

But it's good news for you, because I have nothing to stop me from sitting at my computer and typing. I'm working on a possible drabble about Hermione and Draco, but I may actually keep it for Year Four too. All because I got a youtube channel update and one of my favourite subscriptions had uploaded a really cool new song called friend zone. Hence I'm thinking Draco's going to be banned to the friend zone for Year Four, or most of it. Let him fester in his feelings for a while. And by the by, my stories are going to start drifting a bit more from the regular story line. I'm thinking Draco'll be in the order before the Seventh year starts.

But we'll see.


	14. Boggarts and Rats

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Fourteen: Boggarts and Rats

Disclaimer: I wish.

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><p>The rush of Gryffindor winning the Quidditch cup for the first time in years lasted all the way until June. Hermione spent most of her days cooped up in her room, the common room, the library <em>and<em> her father's office, reviewing her notes and cramming for exams when she wasn't in classes. She was so exhausted from this new routine that she hardly had the energy to fend off Harry and Ron after they found her exam timetable, which stated she'd be attending four exams a day instead of two. She slowed down a little when they received an owl from Hagrid, informing them that Buckbeak's appeal had been set for the day their exams finished.

"They're coming here to do it," Harry said as he read the letter, while Hermione searched for her Arithmancy book, "Someone from the Ministry of Magic, and - I don't believe it! An executioner!" He exclaimed, and Hermione gaped at the letter, "They're bringing an executioner to the appeal! But that sounds as though they've already decided!" "Yeah it does." Harry said. "They can't!" Ron howled, "I've spent _ages_ reading up stuff for him, they can't just ignore it all!"

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><p>The first week of June brought a hush over the school. The exams seemed harder that year, to Hermione, as she had missed out on the exams the year before, and she single handedly had more to study than any other student in the castle. Things flowed as smoothly as could be expected, Hermione supposed, until Thursday morning, as they did their Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, granted, she had very nearly messed up in Transfiguration, and her Confusing Concoction had almost bubbled over. Harry passed through the obstacle course Lupin had set up without any trouble, and Ron did quite well until he met the Hinkypunk; but when she reached the last compartment, a room with a Boggart, she panicked.<p>

It was dark and horrifying; she was completely closed off from the sun outside. She began shaking as a tall figure loomed out of the corner and reached for her, "Time to join me or die, Hermione." The voice was the familiar high-pitched hiss that her father had told her to be the voice of Voldemort, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, running from the small enclosure in terror, clutching her left arm. She crashed into Professor Lupin as soon as she stepped into the sun, and she knew he caught a glimpse of her Boggart repeating its words, though it was hard to say if he heard the voice too. He looked down at her with wide eyes and she quivered, pushing away from him as Harry and Ron ran over to her. She led them away and quickly told them she'd seen McGonagall telling her she'd failed everything.

Ron looked about ready to laugh at her as they approached the front steps of the school, but they were met by the sight of Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic himself. The stout wizard greeted Harry as they approached and asked about their exams. "Lovely day," Fudge said, as he looked out over the lake, though Hermione didn't think he sounded too sorry at all, "Pity, really. I'm here on unpleasant business." Fudge looked back at Harry, ignoring her and Ron both as he continued, "I've been asked to step in as a witness for the execution of a mad Hippogriff, by the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. Of course, it's not too far out of my way; I needed to come to Hogwarts to check on the Black situation."

Ron stepped forward, confusion etched on his face, "Does that mean the appeal's already happened?" Hermione stepped ahead so she was right beside the red head, ready to intervene in case Ron had a bout of his usual foot-in-mouth disease. "No, no, that's scheduled for this afternoon." "Then maybe you won't have to witness an execution! The Hippogriff could still get off!" She elbowed Ron as two men stepped out through the doors of the school, and he spotted the axe that was being carried by a tall man with a thin black moustache. They went to lunch with low spirits after their run in with the Minister for Magic and the executioner.

Hermione waited until the boys had left for their Divination exam before heading to the closest girl's toilet to use her time-turner. She attended her last two exams and made her way to Gryffindor common room to wait for Harry and Ron. She sat by the window, thinking about the incident with the Boggart and wondered if Lupin would tell her father. He probably should, as it had caused her to run out of an exam in terror, but Lupin didn't even know Severus was her father, perhaps he wouldn't say a thing.

Ron came in a while later, holding a letter in his hands, and sat by her breaking her thoughts. "It's a good thing exams are over now." She said sadly, reading the untidy and nearly illegible scrawl of Hagrid's handwriting. The appeal had been lost, and Buckbeak would be executed at sundown. Harry came into the common room moments later, panting as he reached them, "Professor Trelawney just told me –" he stopped abruptly when he saw their faces and Ron handed the note over to the dark haired boy.

"We've got to go," he said at once, and Hermione knew he was right. They couldn't leave Hagrid to face that alone. "Sunset though," Ron said, staring out the window, "We'd never be allowed…especially not you Harry." Harry sank onto the arm of her chair and his head fell into his hands, "If only we still had the cloak." He groaned. "Where is it?" Hermione had never been filled in on the whereabouts of the cloak after resuming her friendship with the boys, which she assumed to mean they lost it when breaking rules.

"Inside the one-eyed witch's passageway; if Snape sees me anywhere near there again, I'm in serious trouble." She rolled her eyes at his morose tone and stood up, "If he sees _you_, maybe. How do I get in?" "You tap the hump and say '_dissendium'_, but –" She hurried out of the common room and couldn't help her smirk as she hurried through the halls, until she almost ran right into Lupin.

"Miss Granger, where are you off to in such a rush?" He asked suspiciously, and she quickly pieced together the best lie she could think of. "Oh I…I've lost my journal, and I really need it." She tried to step around him but he stopped her, "Very well, I'd like a word with you later about your exam this morning." She looked up at him, slightly confused, and he seemed to realize his mistake, "Tomorrow, perhaps." Tonight was the full moon. "Okay, may I go now? Harry and Ron won't wait forever for me to get back before going to dinner without me." She stepped around him again and was gone before he could say anything else.

She ran full speed down the corridors, until she reached the statue of the one-eyed witch and she drew her wand. "_Dissendium._" She tapped the statue's hump and stepped into the opening as it appeared, slipping down far enough to grab the discarded cloak, and climb back up. She had only made it half way down the corridor when she spotted her father, and he gave her a questioning look. "Where'd you come from?" She laughed nervously, and cleared her throat, "That way," she pointed over her shoulder, "I dropped my journal earlier and I was just –" "Hermione." Her father gave her a flat look and she sighed dejectedly. She was a terrible liar apparently. Or perhaps her father knew her too well.

"Okay, I was fetching something for Harry and Ron from a shortcut they used earlier and now I have to get back so we can go to dinner and go talk to Hagrid before the execution." Severus gave his daughter a sympathetic look and placed his hand on her shoulder, "You're alright, aren't you? You aren't taking this too hard? I know you worked very hard to defend the Hippogriff." She shrugged, "I'll be okay. I wish Buckbeak had been given a fair chance, but I really need to go now. Also…er…you may want to have a word with Professor Lupin about my exam." She shifted nervously on her feet as her father opened his mouth to ask why, but quickly snapped it shut.

She heard footsteps approaching from behind, and she realized it was time to go. She sped off without a word, knowing he'd understand, and ran most of the way to the common room. Just as she was rounding the corner to the fat lady's portrait, she crashed into Neville, and they both went sprawling onto the stone floor. "Hermione!" The pudgy boy sounded rather cheerful, despite the fact she had bowled him over, and he pulled her up to her feet. "Hi Neville. Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention." She tried to step around him, but he blocked her way, "How was your last exam?" She groaned mentally, and tried to duck around the boy again, "It was fine; I really need to go now Neville. I have to meet Harry and Ron for dinner." But once again, her path was blocked by the pudgy boy, "Oh that's good. Listen I have a letter," He pulled a wrinkled envelope out of his robes and held it out to her, "it's for you. I found it on the ground around the corner from the common room."

She accepted the letter and sighed as she recognized the writing on the front. It was from Draco. "Thank you Neville. I really do need to go now..." She successfully dodged around him and hurried to the common room, tucking the letter away in her robes. When she finally made it back to the common room she fell back into the chair she had been sitting in before and smiled at the boys. "I don't know what's gotten into you lately Hermione!" Ron said with a laugh, making her blush slightly, "First you punch Malfoy, then you walk out on Professor Trelawney..." She felt pride bubble up in her at the awe in his voice, and she jumped to her feet, laughing. "Come on, let's get to dinner." She pulled the invisibility cloak out of its hiding place in her robes and gave it to Harry to hide. It was _his_ cloak after all.

Dinner was loud, as most students were excited for having finished their exams, though neither Harry, Ron, nor Hermione joined in the enthusiasm. As students began leaving the hall, they joined the fray and slipped into an empty class room on the opposite side of the entrance hall and waited for their path the clear. Hermione pulled the letter out of her robes and fingered the top corner of it nervously. Should she read it now? Or would it be full of something nasty like bubotuber puss? "What's that?" Ron asked, his eyes falling on the envelope, drawing Harry's attention to it as well.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "It's a letter _obviously_." "Well who's it from?" Harry asked, stepping closer to look at it as she held it behind her back. "It's from no one as far as either of you are concerned." She stated smartly, turning her back on them as they went back to the door way to listen for the sounds of footsteps. She ripped the envelope open and dumped the contents onto the closest desk top. So far, so good. She picked up the letter and began reading it,

_Hermione,_

_There's really no easy way to say this...and if anyone were to find it that wasn't you..._

"Psst! I think that was the last of them. Under the cloak now." Harry's voice startled her into tearing the note slightly as she jumped. "Oh no!" She folded it gently and tucked it into a pocket on the inside of her robes as she made her way over to the boys and Harry threw the cloak over them. They all crouched as they edged their way into the entrance hall, and they were forced to stop suddenly and remain still as the front doors opened to reveal her father. As she watched him head down the staircase that led into the dungeons, she couldn't help thinking that Hagrid was now likely to be expecting them. "That was close," Harry whispered as they made it out into the sunlight. It didn't take them long to reach Hagrid's cabin, as they did not have to worry about someone seeing a foot or hearing their steps out on the grass.

Harry knocked twice on the large wooden door to the gamekeeper's hut, and after a moment Hagrid opened it, looking left and right for whomever had knocked. "Hagrid, _it's us._ We're under the invisibility cloak, let us in so we can take it off." Harry said quietly, and Hagrid let out a great sigh, stepping aside to give them room. "Yeh shouldn've come." He said with a trembling voice as he closed the door and Hermione pulled the cloak off of them. The game keeper looked a right mess, though she was happy to note that he was not in tears this time. He reminded her of a lost man; pale, unsure, and shaking like a leaf.

"Wan' some tea?" He reached for the kettle with unsteady hands and Hermione noticed that the room was relatively empty. "Hagrid, where's Buckbeak?" Harry and Ron looked around as she spoke, just noticing themselves. "I - I put him outside. Though' he should see the tree's, - " the milk he was pouring into the jug spilled all over the table, "an' the sky, an' breathe the fresh air – before –" He trembled so violently that the milk jug crashed to the floor and shattered. Hermione rushed forward and placed her hands on his forearm gently, "Here, Hagrid, let me. I'll do it. You go sit." She waited until he sat down before bending down and cleaning the mess.

"He likes the pumpkin patch, yeh know?" Hagrid wheezed as he sopped up the spill on the table with his handkerchief. "There's another one in the cupboard." Hermione left the boys to comfort him for a moment as she reached up into the cupboard for the new milk jug. Harry's voice filled the room, "Isn't there anything anyone can do Hagrid? Dumbledore -" A heavy sigh followed, "He's tried. He's got no power over ter overpower the committee. He told 'em Buckbeak is alrigh', but they're scared ...yeh know what Lucius Malfoy is like, Herm – er...threatened 'em." Hermione sighed covertly as the giant man almost let slip the summer after her first year, this was not the first time he'd almost done this, nor would it be the last she thought.

"An' the executioner, Macnair, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's...but it'll be quick an' painless." Hagrid continued, covering his slip quickly. His eyes darted around the room, as though he couldn't stand the sight of anything for more than a few minutes. "An' I'll be beside him. Dumbledore's gonna come down while it – while it happens. Wrote me this mornin', says he wants ter be with me. Great man Dumbledore." Hermione finally found the spare milk jug and pulled it down, letting out a great dry sob. She straightened up and continued preparing the tea.

"We'll stay with you, too, Hagrid," She said shakily, but he shook his head, "Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' you shouldn' be down here anyway…if Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh down here without permission, Harry," Hagrid gave Hermione a pointed look that let her know that what her father would do was implied, "yeh'll be in big trouble." She turned back to the new milk jug with tears rolling down her face silently; she picked up the milk bottle to pour it into the new jug and shrieked. "Ron! I – I don't believe it – it's _Scabbers_!"

She could feel Ron gaping at her from the table, "What are you talking about?" She carried the milk jug over to the table and flipped it upside down. All at once there was a frantic squeak and Scabbers fell onto the table; though he fought tooth and nail to get back into the jug.

"Scabbers!" Ron said blankly, as they all stared down at the rat in confusion, "Scabbers, what are you doing here?" The red head grabbed the struggling rat and held him up to the light to examine him. He looked simply dreadful, Hermione thought. While he had once been so fat, he was now sickly thin, and large tufts of hair had fallen out leaving him wide several wide bald patches. Scabbers twisted and writhed in Ron's hands, trying desperately to free himself, but Ron held as tight as he dared, "It's ok Scabbers! No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!"

Hagrid stood from his seat suddenly and his face went as pale as parchment, "They're comin'…" Hermione whipped around to look out the window, Harry and Ron doing the same, and they watched as Dumbledore led a group of men down the distant castle steps. His silver beard glinted in the dying sunlight as Cornelius Fudge trotted along beside him, with the feeble committee member and Macnair following close behind. "Yeh've gotta go," Hagrid said trembling, "They musn' find yeh…go on now…"

Ron stuffed Scabbers into his pocket carefully and Hermione picked up the discarded cloak, "I'll let yeh out the back way." Hagrid said shuffling towards the backdoor of his cabin, which could be opened without any of the approaching men seeing. They followed him out into the back garden and they watched him comfort Buckbeak whom laid only a few yards away behind the pumpkin patch.

"Go on, get goin'" Hermione wanted to do as he said, but she felt like her feet were glued to the ground. Neither Harry nor Ron moved beside her, and she wondered if they felt the same. Everything was so surreal as Hagrid fiercely told them to go, despite the arguments they tried to make; though she barely realized she had spoken. She felt Harry grip the cloak in her hands and throw it over them, and Hagrid whispered hoarsely "Go quick, don' listen…" before striding back into his cabin as a knock sounded from the front door.

She followed as Harry and Ron began to walk slowly around Hagrid's house in an almost horrified trance. "Please, let's hurry," she whispered, clutching Harry's shoulder tightly for support, "I can't stand it, I can't bear it…" They sped up slightly as they began climbing the sloping lawn towards the castle. Everything was bathed in a warm, but eerie, orange glow, and the sun was sinking fast. Half way up the slope, Ron stopped dead. "Oh, please, Ron…" She danced from foot to foot as the red head to Harry's right struggled with his pocket, "It's Scabbers –" he said, bending over slightly, "he won't – stay put."

The rat was now going berserk; squeaking madly, twisting and writhing with renewed vigor, trying desperately to bite Ron and escape. "Scabbers it's me you idiot, Ron!" The boy hissed trying to get the rat to stay put in his pocket, as a door opened behind them. As the sound of male voices drifted up towards them, Hermione let out a low whine, "_Please_ Ron, let's move, they're going to do it!"

Ron nodded, "Ok, Scabbers stay put." They walked forwards, but were stopped after only a few feet by Ron again, as he hunched over again to scold his rat, whom was squealing like mad, but not quite loudly enough to cover up the voices from down below. Without warning, a silence fell and was followed by the loud echoing thud of the executioner's axe. The world spun around her for a moment, and she swayed on the spot, thinking she might just faint. "They did it…I d-don't believe it – they did it…" She groaned sadly, leaning onto Harry for support.

They stood still for several moments as the last dying rays of the sun fell over them, Harry and Hermione caught in shock as Ron continued to struggle with his pet. Behind them they heard a wild howl, and Harry turned around as though he were going to return to the hut, "Hagrid," he mumbled, jolting Hermione and Ron into action as they each grabbed one of his arms and held him in place, "Harry, no!" Ron said tugging the dark haired boy back around. "We have to _go_. They'll be coming back this way any minute." Hermione hissed, pushing both boys up the hill as her mind finally regained function, despite her breathing staying forced and uneven. They trudged up the hill as darkness fell rapidly over the grounds.

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><p>End chapter fourteen!<p>

Ah, so, what do you all think of Hermione's Boggart? I thought it was pretty awesome myself. Of course it would be her biggest fear after everything she has learned this year.

I'm kind of nervous, I'm still hammering out the ending, as I was sidetracked with ideas for Year Four. Though, I've decided to ease up on the details ever so slightly. Don't worry too much though, I'll make sure it's good.

Next chapter, Sirius! And possibly some of Lupin's presence. I haven't sectioned it off yet, so I don't know how long I'll be making it. It won't be any shorter than this one though.

And, well, Draco's letter won't be concluded until after all the excitement. Mostly because I forgot to write it all out on a seperate file, and I forgot what it was going to say. It's going to be something that will get him in well enough graces for their end of year tradition, but not enough to be friends just yet. He'll earn that in Year Four.

Also...potentially...(don't be mad, anybody,) I may not write anything about S.P.E.W. Not that Hermione isn't going to care about house elves, it's just I wouldn't know what to add, and I'd have to add much more if it's from her POV.


	15. The Animagus

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Fifteen: The animagus

Disclaimer: don't own it!

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><p>Ron stopped them yet again, fighting with the rat in his pocket, which seemed more desperate than ever to be free, as he sunk his sharp teeth into Ron's fingers. "Ouch! He bit me!" Hermione felt dread building up in her chest as she watched her friend struggle, "Ron, be quiet! Fudge'll be out in a minute…" "He – won't stay – put!" Hermione looked away from the scene as she realized Harry's eyes were fixed on something on the ground not five feet away; Crookshanks.<p>

"_No_ Crooks," Hermione whimpered as the cat prowled closer with glowing yellow eyes. She couldn't tell if he was following the sound of squeaking from Scabbers or if he could see them even with the cloak. Though it hardly mattered as the ginger cat stalked closer, and the sickly rat managed to free itself at long last from Ron's grip.

That rat shot off through the grass at amazing speed, with Crookshanks hot on his tail, as Ron threw off the cloak and followed. Hermione turned to look at Harry as the red head raced off, and he looked right back at her, both coming to the same conclusion. It was risky and unnecessarily stupid, but they had to shed the cloak and chase down Ron before he got them caught.

They sprinted as fast as they could, the cloak whipping behind them like a banner, following Ron's angry shouts at Crookshanks. "Get away – from – him!" There was a loud thud and they finally managed to catch up to see Ron on the ground, clutching his disturbed rat in his pocket. "Ron," Hermione panted as she and Harry skidded to a halt in front of him, "Quick, get back under the cloak. Dumbledore and the Minister will be out any minute." Harry fumbled with the cloak beside her, but all was forgotten as they heard the soft pounding of gigantic feet.

Hermione turned in the direction of the noise and whimpered, "Oh no. No, no, no!" It was the very same gigantic dog she had given the cloak to on Christmas, and he was heading right for them with his fangs bared in the light of the full moon. Beside her, Harry reached for his wand, but the giant dog leapt and its massive front paws hit him in the chest, bowling him to the ground. The dog rolled off of him, the force of its leap too strong to allow such a fast stop, and Ron jumped to his feet as she watched Harry struggle.

She felt nauseous as the great beast skidded to a halt and turned to face them for a new attack. She watched in shock as Ron pushed Harry out of the way when the dog charged again, and the beast fastened its jaw around the red head's arm instead. Harry lunged at it and seized a handful of the brute's hair, but it began dragging Ron away as though he were a rag doll.

Hermione stumbled after her friends shouts of pain and anger, trembling all the way, and she shrieked when something knocked Harry off his feet, and she doubled over with pain as she felt something hit her too. "_Lumos_." She heard Harry grunt, and light poured out from the tip of his wand, illuminating a thick tree trunk.

"Harry…that's th –" She ducked as the tree swung another branch violently in her direction. She had never been this close to the whomping willow before. "Ron!" Harry shouted, drawing her attention to the base of the tree, where she could see the dog tugging Ron out of sight, she heard a loud, sickening _crack_ just before he vanished from the light of Harry's wand.

"Harry – we've got to go for help!" She cried, as the tree swung its branches violently at them, it caught her in the shoulder this time, and she could feel the blood flowing freely. "We can't! That thing's big enough to eat him!" Harry responded, and she could see he was bleeding as well. "We're never going to get through without help," she gasped as they ducked another attack from the tree. "If that dog can get in, so can we." Harry said, panting, as he dodged several more branches.

"Oh, help, help…." She whispered frantically, dancing on the spot. This was the closest she had yet been to being alone in a dangerous situation, and she could feel cold fear creeping up on her like it had in the park and in Julie's living room. She saw Crookshanks dart forward through the grass and slither between the branches. "Please…" She whimpered as her cat placed his paw on a knot at the bottom of the tree and the tree froze. "Crookshanks?" She grasped Harry's arm as they slowly inched towards the trunk of the tree, where the ginger cat was watching them with his big yellow eyes.

"Come on, and keep your wand out." Harry said encouragingly as they reached the opening at the base of the tree. Hermione swallowed nervously but pulled her wand out of her pocket and clutched it tightly in her fist, "O-okay." Crookshanks slipped into the dirt tunnel ahead of them, and they followed closely, not wanting to see how long it would take for the tree to unfreeze.

Once they were in the cramped tunnel, Hermione grabbed the back of Harry's robes tightly, "Where's Ron?" She lit her own wand, and held it up, revealing nothing but Crookshanks. "This way." Harry replied, nodding down the long dark tunnel, "Where does this tunnel let out?" She asked, as they moved as quickly as they could through the small space, following Crookshanks.

"I don't know…it's marked on the Marauder's Map, but Fred and George said no one's ever got into it before. It goes off the edge of the map, but it looks like it ends up in Hogsmeade." They were bent nearly in half as they went along, trying to move faster than they could manage, worried for Ron. Hermione was almost too scared to let herself wonder what they might find at the end of the tunnel. Would Ron still be alive?

The tunnel began to rise, and it twisted not long after, and then Crookshanks was gone; but a dim light filled the end of the tunnel. "This must be it." Harry whispered, moving faster than ever towards the opening. Hermione followed closely and let out a gasp as they stepped into a violently decrepit old house. The walls and floors were covered in dust and blood stains, and every piece of furniture was broken and shredded. Harry glanced at her, and nodded. She grabbed his arm tightly as they made their way silently through the decrepit house, following the trail on the dusty, dirty floor.

"Harry, I think we're in the shrieking shack." She whispered as she found her voice, looking around the room in fear. "Ghosts didn't do that." Harry replied, gesturing to a destroyed chair. Hermione shivered as they looked around, and they heard a creak above their heads. They quietly walked up the old, broken staircase and when they reached the dark landing, they put their wands out, muttering "_Nox,_" as quietly as they could. There was only one door that was open in the hallway, and they made their way to it, creeping along slowly. As they got closer to the door they heard a low moan, and the sound of Crookshanks purring.

She exchanged a look with Harry and nodded shakily, and Harry kicked the door wide open, revealing a large, magnificent four poster bed, on which Crookshanks was laying, purring away. On the floor beside the bed, clutching a very broken leg, was Ron.

They ran over to him at once, "Ron – are you ok?" "Where's the dog?" Ron moaned, gritting his teeth with pain and bit out, "Not a dog – it's a trap Harry." "What?" "_He's the dog…he's an animagus_." Ron's eyes were fixed on something over Harry's shoulder, and Hermione spun around at the same time as Harry, to see a man in the shadows shut the door with a snap.

A mass of filthy hair hung down to his elbows, he seemed little more than a living skeleton, with eyes glittering darkly out of their sockets. It was Sirius Black. "_Expelliarmus._" He croaked, and Hermione felt her wand fly out of her hand as Harry's did the same. He caught them effortlessly and stepped forward, eyes locked on Harry.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend." He said, his voice hoarse and weak from apparent lack of use. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful; it'll make everything so much easier." Hermione whimpered as Harry stared down the murderer before him. He moved forward and she acted out of reflex, grabbing onto one of his arms as Ron grabbed the other, holding Harry back.

"No Harry!" She gasped, as Ron clamoured to his feet unsteadily for a better grip on Harry's arm. "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too." Ron said defiantly, staring Black down with almost as much hate as Harry was. Hermione saw something familiar flicker through Black's eyes as Ron swayed on the spot; it almost looked as though he were worried, or apologetic. "Lie down," Black said quietly to Ron, "You'll damage that leg even further." His tone was so frighteningly similar to her father's for a moment that she almost cried.

"Did you hear me?" Ron persisted weakly, as he clung desperately to Harry to keep himself upright. "You'll have to kill all three of us!" A sickly smile spread over Black's face at Ron's declaration, "There'll only be one murder here tonight." Harry struggled under their grip, "Why's that?" He spat, trying to wrench himself free, "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those muggles to get at Pettigrew…what's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"

"Harry!" Hermione whimpered, clutching his arm tighter, "Be quiet!" Her pleas fell on deaf ears though, as Harry rounded on her roaring, "HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" He finally managed to throw them both off, lunging forwards as they tumbled to the ground. Hermione felt her wrist get crushed slightly, and cursed under her breath as she pushed herself back to her feet.

Harry had thrown himself at Black, swinging his fist and forcing the wand tips away with his other hand. They fell back into the wall from the force and she screamed as the wands sent out a jet of sparks. Black's free hand found Harry's throat, as the dark haired boy continued to try and punch every inch he could reach, "No," Black hissed, "I've waited too long –" his fingers tightened and Harry choked, his glasses going askew.

Hermione panicked and rushed forward without thinking, swinging her leg as hard as she could, connecting with Black's ribs and he dropped Harry with a grunt of pain, doubling over. Ron threw himself unsteadily at the wands gripped tightly in blacks hand and they clattered to the ground. Harry, on the floor, finally caught his breath, and threw himself in the direction of his wand as it rolled away across the floor.

"Argh!" Both sets of Crookshank's front claws buried themselves into his outstretched arm. The dark haired boy threw the cat off, and it darted for his wand, "Oh no you don't!" He shouted, swinging his leg around to aim a kick at the cat. Hermione pushed herself up onto her elbows and licked her lip; she had been knocked into a broken trunk at the foot of the bed when Ron had tackled Black, and split her lip. She scrambled to her feet as Harry's fingers closed over his wand, and she reached down to pull Ron up as well, "Get out of the way!" Harry shouted; spit flying, as he pointed his wand towards Sirius Black.

They scrambled away as fast as they could manage, and she snatched up both her own wand and Ron's from the floor. Adrenaline was pumping through her blood violently as she watched Harry slowly approach Black, whom was sprawled on the floor, propped up halfway against a wall. There was no mistaking his intent, with his wand pointing directly at the gaunt man's heart, and she wanted to turn away, but couldn't.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" Black whispered tauntingly, his breaths coming in sharp, uneven jags; a vivid bruise growing steadily around his eye as blood dripped down steadily from his nose. "You killed my parents." Harry's voice was cold and shaky, though his wand hand was not. "I don't deny it," Black said quietly, the barest hints of remorse tinting his voice, "but if you knew the whole story-" from his seat beside her on the bed, Ron flinched, as Harry glared down at the escaped convict, "The whole story? You sold them out to Voldemort, that's all I need to know."

The air in the room became tenser as Black shook his head slightly, "You've got to listen to me," there was a note of urgency in his voice now, "you'll regret it if you don't…you don't understand…" Harry's grip on his wand tightened at Black's words, "I understand a lot better than you think," he said, his voice shaking more than ever, "You never heard her, did you? My mum…trying to stop Voldemort killing me…and you did that…you did it…"

Hermione sucked in a deep breath as Crookshanks streaked through Harry's legs and leapt onto Black's chest, and settled himself over the man's heart. She watched as the sickly pale man looked down and blinked at her cat. "Get off," he murmured, attempting to dislodge the ginger cat from his perch, but the cat was stubborn and dug his claws into the robes Black was wearing. Robes which were framed by the cloak she had given the dog on Christmas. The world spun slightly, as her mind connected the fact that she had not only helped clothe the loopy man before them, but that he knew her father was up at the school.

Harry kept his wand pointed level, and Ron was looking between her and Crookshanks, as if trying to wordlessly explain that her cat was indeed evil. Suddenly, they could hear muffled footsteps from downstairs. Desperately hoping it was a teacher, preferably her father, she screamed as loud as she could to let whomever it was know that they were upstairs, and they had Black.

Black jolted at the volume of her voice, and Harry gripped his wand harder still. Footsteps thundered up the stairs and the door to the room burst open once more to reveal Remus Lupin. Harry's eyes removed themselves from Black to moment the door opened, and Hermione felt glad to see the Professor as his eyes flickered over each person in the room. "_Expelliarmus_!" Lupin shouted, and Hermione felt the wands in her hand fly away again, leaving her defenceless.

Then, when Lupin spoke, she felt dread boil up inside of her. "Where is he Sirius?" His voice was shaking with suppressed emotions. Harry and Hermione looked between the two grown men, confusion evident on their faces; who was Lupin talking about?

Black, too, seemed dazed for a moment, until he very slowly raised one hand and pointed at Ron. All eyes in the room turned to the red head, whom was clutching his leg and green in the face. "But then…" Lupin muttered, staring at Black as though he were trying to read his mind, "…why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless –" his eyes went wide "- unless he was the one, and you switched without telling me?" Hermione was sure the uneven jag of her own heart beat was nothing compared to Harry's as Black nodded slowly.

"Professor Lupin, what's going -" Harry never got to finish his question, and Hermione hardly blamed his shock. Lupin lowered his wand, and extended his hand to Black; pulling him to his feet. Then, and this was perhaps the most shocking, embraced him as though they were brothers. Everything boiled up inside of her, and she felt something snap; "I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" She screamed, the insecure fear all but vanishing. Lupin let go of Black and both men turned to look at her, and she raised her finger to point accusingly at Lupin's chest.

"You – you –," She gasped slightly, as words fought for their freedom, "Hermione –" Lupin tried to cut her off, but she pressed on. "You and him –" "Hermione, calm down –" "I didn't tell anyone;" her voice had reached shrieking volume now, "I've been covering up for you!" A look of panic flashed over the Professors face, "Hermione please, listen to me !" She trembled, "I can explain –" Harry began to shake as well, and she could see the anger burning in his green eyes again.

"I trusted you!" Harry shouted, drawing the attention away from her, his voice was wavering out of control. "And all this time you've been his friend!" Lupin's panic increased and he raised his hands defensively, the wands hanging limp from his fingers, "You're wrong. I haven't been Sirius' friend for twelve years, but I am now…let me explain…" His voice carried the same urgency that she had heard in Black's before, but alarm bells were ringing in her mind.

"NO!" She screamed as Harry looked ready to hear them out, "Harry, don't trust him! He's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too; he's a _werewolf_!" Silence rang loudly through the room a few moments, and she trembled at having finally spoken the secret. Lupin was calm now, though his face was as pale as the moon, "Not up to your usual standards, I'm afraid Hermione." His voice was now calm and hypnotic, making her mind buzz in irritation. "Only one out of three; I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead…" He shivered slightly, "but I do not deny I am a werewolf."

Beside her, Ron made a valiant effort to get back onto his feet, perhaps from self-preservation she guessed. One did not want to be lying about, injured, around a werewolf they didn't trust. He fell back, and slid to the floor with a thud, and Lupin moved forward in concern. Ron quickly gasped and pulled back however, "Stay away from me, _werewolf_." The Professor stopped dead, and with obvious effort turned to her instead. "How long have you known?"

"Ages…" She whispered, catching herself before she could say Halloween. If she told the truth, he would know she'd seen the potion, and he'd put two and two together. She didn't want to end up a burden to her father. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay…" she lied evenly, though she could not tell if he believed her. "He'll be delighted," Lupin said coolly. "He set that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant. Did you check the lunar chart and realize I was always absent at the full moon? Or did you realize that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"

For this, she didn't have to lie, "Both." She replied quietly; and he forced a dry laugh. "You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione." Where normally the praise would have made her feel relaxed, she felt tension building again, "I'm not," she was still whispering, "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"

"But they already know," He said in his calm voice, "The staff perhaps, and my sister," Hermione cut in before she could stop herself. A wary look fell over Lupin's face, "How did you know that?" She bit her lip, not wanting to say anything more, but the choice was taken from her as Black decided to once again enter the conversation. "Her dad's a teacher up at the school." His voice was low, but she could tell they all heard him.

She saw understanding dawn over Harry and Ron's faces, and she genuinely feared her life until Ron began shouting from the floor. "Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf? Is he mad?" Attention was once again drawn to Lupin. "Some of the staff thought so," Lupin replied evenly, "he had to work very hard to convince the teacher's that I'm trustworthy." Hermione snorted under her breath, her father didn't think him so trustworthy.

"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry was yelling again, his face bright red from the strain, "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!" He was pointing at Black, whom had crossed now to the four poster bed and sunk down, covering his face in one hand as Hermione and Ron shifted further away. Crookshanks leapt onto the bed and climbed onto Black's lap, purring loudly.

"I have _not_ been helping Sirius," said Lupin, beginning to look exasperated. He tucked his own wand into his pants, "if you give me a chance, I'll explain. Look;" he then threw back each of their wands back to them.

Hermione caught her wand with a great rush of relief, and she was thankful Harry was too stunned to act right now. She wanted to know just what was so important that Lupin would give them back their wands, and she didn't have the energy to hold back an angry Harry on her own.

"There," Lupin said raising his hands so they were within sight, "you're armed and we're not. Will you listen now?" Harry seemed hesitant, not that she blamed him. It was doubtful that they could block if Lupin did decide to attack them. Wand or no, he was still a fully grown wizard and a werewolf. They wouldn't stand a chance. "Harry…" She whispered, making the dark haired boy's shoulder twitch, "If you haven't been helping him, how did you know he was here?" His voice was shaky, but he kept eye contact with their Professor.

"The map," Lupin replied calmly, "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it –" "You know how to work it?" Harry cut him off, and Lupin waved his hand impatiently, "of course I know how to work it; I helped write it. I'm Moony – that was my friends nickname for me in school." Harry's jaw dropped open slightly, "You _wrote_ –" "The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had a feeling you three would try and sneak out to see Hagrid. And I was right, wasn't I?"

Hermione shuddered suddenly; he'd had the map. _He_, one of her father's (for lack of a better word,) enemies, had had the map. She felt the colour drain out of her face as Harry's eye flickered over to her sympathetically.

Lupin began pacing about on the dirty floor, his eyes flickering rapid pace between all of them. "You might have been wearing your father's old cloak Harry, but –" "How'd you know about the cloak?" "The number of times I'd seen James disappear under it…the point is," his pacing continued, "even if you're wearing an invisibility cloak you show up on the map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later you left Hagrid's, and headed back towards the castle. But you were accompanied by someone else."

Hermione felt her mouth go dry, and flashes of memories danced through her mind. The shop keeper telling her Crookshanks was half kneazle, the way her cat marked Scabbers, the way her cat followed the dog, which turned out to be Black.

"What? No we weren't." Harry insisted, and she stepped forward to grip his shoulder, "I couldn't believe my eyes," Lupin continued, his pacing quicker than ever, "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?" "No one was with us!" Harry insisted desperately now. Pieces seemed to be falling into place in his mind as well, Hermione noticed. "And then I saw another dot moving towards you, labelled Sirius Black, and I watched you collide, and saw him pull two of you away into the whomping willow…"

"One of us!" Ron shouted suddenly, drawing Lupin's eyes towards him. "No Ron, two of you." He stopped pacing finally, a few short feet away from the injured red head, "Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" His voice was even, and he looked almost afraid himself, as Ron's hands tightened over his robe pocket. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?" The tremor in his voice was enough for Hermione and Harry to know Ron would not hear a word against his beloved pet. "Everything," Lupin said, "could I see him please?"

With much hesitation, Ron finally reached into his pocket and retrieved the violently squeaking and thrashing Scabbers. Crookshanks stood up on Black's lap and began hissing at the rat. Hermione swallowed nervously as Lupin moved in closer to examine the rat. "What? What's my rat got to do with anything?" Ron demanded after a moment of silence.

"That's not a rat." Black said suddenly, his hoarse voice startling them all. Ron held Scabbers close to his chest and leaned away from the lanky man, "What do you mean – of _course_ he's a rat." "No he's not." Lupin said quietly, straightening up with his eyes fixed on the squeaking, sickly rodent, "He's a wizard." "An Animagus," Black cut in, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."

Silence fell, and the absurdity of the statement sank in slowly, until finally Ron voiced what Hermione suspected Harry was thinking. "You're both mental." Hermione was struggling with the idea herself, "Ridiculous," she murmured, part of her mind was telling her that it was true; but it seemed impossible. Peter Pettigrew was dead; killed by Sirius Black twelve years ago, that was what they had heard in the Three Broomsticks. Harry voiced this fact, his voice drifting through the air around her, and Black twitched as Harry pointed at him.

"I meant to," Black growled, baring his yellowed teeth, "but Peter got the better of me…not this time though!" He lunged at the rat in Ron's hands, knocking Crookshanks to the floor with a hiss. Ron yelped in pain as Black landed on his broken leg, and Lupin lunged forward to pull back Black, "SIRIUS, NO!" He yelled, pulling back his struggling friend.

"Wait! You can't do it just like that – they need to understand – we've got to explain –" Lupin struggled to keep Black away from Ron, as Hermione and Harry knelt down beside the red head in worry. "We can explain afterwards!" Black snarled, trying to pull away from Lupin, "They've – got – the – right – to know – everything!" Lupin panted, "Ron's kept him as a pet; there are parts of it even I don't understand!" His words didn't seem to be getting through to the man behind the madness until he mentioned Harry's name. "You owe Harry the truth Sirius!"

Hermione watched as he stopped struggling in Lupin's grasp, and she was reminded of her father again. "All right then." Black grunted, keeping his eyes trained on the rat, "Tell them whatever you like; but do make it quick Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for…" Ron clutched Scabbers even closer, "You're nutters, both of you," he said shakily, looking round to her and Harry for support. "I've had enough of this, I'm off." He tried to heave himself up onto his good leg, but Lupin drew his wand and pointed it level at Scabbers. "You're going to hear me out Ron, just keep a tight hold on Peter while you listen."

Hermione's fingers tightened around her wand, "He's not Peter, he's Scabbers!" Ron shouted, going red in the face, as he tried to stuff his pet back into his pocket, but the rat was fighting too hard and he lost his balance. Harry caught him before he could hit the ground, and he moved Ron back onto the bed. Then he turned to Lupin. "There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die." He said calmly, ignoring Black completely, "A whole street full of them."

Black didn't take kindly to being ignored; "They didn't see what they thought they saw!" He shouted angrily, a savage light in his deadened eyes.

Lupin nodded evenly, "Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter, and I believed it myself until tonight." He took a ragged breath and looked ill for a moment before continuing, "Until I saw the map. Because the Marauder's Map never lies….Peter's alive. Ron's holding him as we speak Harry."

Harry turned to look at Ron, and Hermione saw him nod ever so slightly. It seemed he agreed with Ron. It was a highly unlikely story, Hermione admitted, but it seemed more unlikely that Lupin would lie to cover up for Black. The more she thought about it; the less likely it seemed that Lupin would go to such lengths to trick them. She wanted to know more; she needed the missing pieces, so she spoke in a regretfully trembling voice, "But…Professor Lupin…Scabbers can't be Pettigrew…it just can't be true," Lupin gave her a surprisingly soft look, "Why can't it be true?" He asked calmly. She felt the tension ease slightly.

"Because…because people would know if he was an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework. The ministry keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register." She paused to take a breath, "There have only been seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list –" her sense of ease disappeared as Lupin began to laugh.

"Right again Hermione," he said, "but the ministry never knew there used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts." She decided she didn't like where this was headed, as Black began to lose his patience again, "If you're going to tell them the story, get on with it Remus." He snarled, still watching Scabbers' every move in a way that made Hermione quite glad she wasn't Ron at the moment. "I've waited twelve years; I'm not going to wait much longer."

Lupin sighed, "Alright, but you'll have to help me Sirius; I only know how it began…" Lupin broke off as a loud creak sounded from the doorway. The door had opened on its own, and they all stared at it. Lupin strode over to the door and looked out into the hall, "No one there…" his voice was full of suspicion, and Ron seemed the only other person able to find his voice in the tension, "This place _is_ haunted."

"It's not." Lupin said, still looking at the door in puzzlement, "The shrieking shack was never haunted…the screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me." He pushed his greying hair out of his eyes and turned back to face them, putting the door to the back of his mind. "That's where this all begins; with my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten…and if I hadn't been so foolhardy…"

Ron opened his mouth to interrupt once again, but Hermione quickly silenced him. Lupin looked ill, somber and tired, and she very much doubted his patience at the moment. "I was a very small boy when I was bitten. My parents tried everything of course; however there was no cure at the time. The potion that Professor Snape has been brewing for me all year is a very recent discovery. As long as I take it in the week leading up to the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform. I can stay in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane."

"Before the Wolfsbane potion was discovered however, I became a fully-fledged monster once every month. It had seemed impossible that I could come to Hogwarts, as other parents weren't likely to want their children to be exposed to me." His eyes gained a far off look, as he was no doubt recalling his youth, "But then Dumbledore was made Headmaster; and he was sympathetic. He made it so, with many precautions, I would be able to attend school. He saw no reason I should be forced to go un-educated."

He looked to Harry now and tilted his head slightly, "I told you months ago, if you recall, that the whomping willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts." Harry nodded mutely, "The truth is, it was planted _because_ I came here. This house – the tunnel that leads to it – they were built for my use. Once a month I was smuggled out of the school to transform."

Hermione listened intently, as he began to describe his transformations. She had known the book she had read could not have done them justice, and as she watched his face, she could tell even his words were not enough to describe the pain of a transformation like that; though she was willing to bet it was rather like when she had mistakenly turned herself into a cat in the second year with the Polyjuice potion.

He went on to describe how he became friends with Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew, and how they came to discover the truth about him. "And they didn't desert me at all," he said, "instead they did something to help make the transformations not only more bearable, but some of the best times of my life. They became Animagi." This caught Harry's attention, "My dad too?" He asked, astounded, "Yes indeed." Lupin replied. "It took them the better part of three years to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong."

"One reason the Ministry keeps such strict tabs on witches and wizards who attempt it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James and Sirius. In our fifth year they finally had managed it." "But how did that help you?" Hermione asked; feeling rather confused. "They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals."

It finally clicked into place. Werewolves were only a danger to humans; not animals. Hermione sighed as Lupin went on to explain how they had helped him feel more human, even when transformed. She admired the dedication his friends had shown, and she wondered briefly if any of her friends would have done the same, though she knew it was reckless. How easy it would have been for something to go horribly wrong. "Hurry up Remus," Black snarled, cutting through her thoughts and bringing her focus back to the matter at hand. They still were only half way to the point.

"I'm getting there Sirius," Lupin said calmly, and he told them of the adventures he had with his friends, and how they had created the Marauder's Map together, and made their nicknames; Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail. Harry was enthralled with the story; he had lowered his wand so it lay limp in his hand by his side, "What sort of animal –" but her patience ran out. "That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf; what if you'd managed to give them the slip and bitten somebody?" Her mind supplied the memory of her father's discussion with her in his office; when he'd told her about what had almost happened. She trembled in furious terror at the thought that they could be so careless to give such opportunities a chance.

"A thought that haunts me still," Lupin whispered heavily, "and there were near misses, many of them. We would laugh about them afterwards; we were young and thoughtless, carried away with our own cleverness." She glowered at him as he confessed this. One of those near misses had been her father; even if he'd had some part in being foolish enough to fall for Black's prank, she felt anger towards them all now.

"I sometimes felt guilty; betraying Dumbledore's trust like that. He had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other would have allowed it; so much he didn't know, but as always, I would manage to forget my guilty feelings when we planned our next adventure." His disposure changed suddenly to self-disgust. "And I haven't changed. All year I have been battling with myself over revealing Sirius as an Animagus."

"But I didn't – couldn't." He said bitterly, "Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting to betraying his trust so many years ago; admitting that I'd led others along with me. And Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. So I convinced myself Sirius was getting into the school using dark arts." He drew a hollow breath, "So, in a way, Snape's been right about me all along…"

Black's eyes darted towards his old friend, leaving Scabbers for the first time, "Snape?" He asked harshly, "What's Snape got to do with it?" Hermione wanted to reach out to her friends for comfort as her father's name came up, but she held back. "He's here Sirius, he's teaching up at the school." Lupin said heavily, "Professor Snape went to school with us." He turned to speak to Harry, Ron and Hermione now. "He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. All year he has been telling Dumbledore I am not to be trusted."

"He has his reasons," Lupin admitted, seeming embarrassed a moment, "You see, Sirius here played a trick on him; one which nearly killed him." Hermione's eyes hardened and she turned her glare to Black, though he took no notice. "It was a trick which involved me –" "Served him right, sneaking around trying to get us expelled." Black growled, as though he saw no fault in his own actions. "Severus was rather interested in where I went off to every month. We were in the same year, you know, and we – er – didn't really like each other much." This, of course, wasn't exactly news to the trio. They all knew of the animosity between James and Snape.

"He was jealous, I think, of James' skill on the Quidditch pitch." Lupin said, "At any rate, Sirius told him one night, how to get into the tunnel under the whomping willow. Of course, Snape tried it – if he'd gotten to the end of the tunnel, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf. But James, who'd learned from a third year, Miss Granger's older sister, I believe, what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back at great risk to his own life." Hermione frowned at that, she hadn't known of her sister's part in the rescue. "Snape caught a glimpse of me at the end of the tunnel, though. He was forbidden to tell anyone by Dumbledore. But from that time on he knew."

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you." Harry said after a moment, taking in the details. "Because he thought you were in on the joke?" Hermione tensed as Lupin nodded.

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><p>End chapter fifteen!<p>

And I have some wonderful news.

I finally got off my lazy arse (or rather, on it) and finished Year Three!

That's right, I've finished the ending!

And now, I am onto the start of Year Four. I feel just awful that I'm not half way through Year Four yet, but to be honest, I'm having a hell of a time with substituting Harry's scenes with Hermione's. I just have to trust, however, that you all are aware, to some extent, of the details of everything, and remember to incorporate them into what I'm writing!

Now, about the ending of Year Three...Let's just say I've drastically altered my original emphasis on the 'secret' remaining 'secret'. It's good new though, for people who like the idea of good Slytherin's.

Hope you all don't mind I cut Lupin's speach a bit short.

You have four more chapters coming after this one; and then, Year Four.


	16. Rats Can't Be Trapped So Easily

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Sixteen: Rats can't be trapped so easily

Disclaimer: Don't own it

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><p>"That's right." The familiar, cold drawl of her father's voice filled the room suddenly, and she gasped as he appeared behind Lupin, pulling off the invisibility cloak she and Harry had abandoned by the tree. His wand was pointing directly at Lupin, and his eyes flickered over to her, hardening as they took in her injuries.<p>

Black leapt to his feet, facing Severus with a cruel sneer, and Harry jumped in shock at the sudden appearance of the potions master. "I found this at the base of the whomping willow," he said coldly, holding the cloak in his left hand, careful to keep his wand pointed at Lupin's chest. "Very useful, I thank you Potter." He was slightly breathless, though his face almost glowed in the dimly lit room, with surprised triumph. Hermione trembled where she stood, wanting to go stand behind him and feel safe, but she wanted to prove to him she was not a little child, and the way his eyes were glittering at the moment frightened her more than what he said next.

"I suppose you are wondering, how it is I knew you were here?" A smirk was twisting his thin lips, "I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a goblet full along. And very lucky I did…lucky for me, I mean." He paused for effect, "Lying on your desk was a certain _map_. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passage and out of sight."

"Severus –" Lupin began, but her father would not be deterred. "I've told the Headmaster, time and again, that you've been helping your old friend. And here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you'd use this place as a hideout." "Severus, you're making a mistake –" Lupin said urgently, "you haven't heard everything – I can explain – Sirius is not here to kill Harry –" Severus paid no mind to his words. "Two more for Azkaban tonight," he was now frightening Hermione more than he ever had, "I shall be quite interested to see how Dumbledore takes this…"

"You fool," Lupin said softly, "Is a schoolboy grudge truly worth putting an innocent man back in Azkaban?" Severus' eyes narrowed and thin cords burst from the end of his wand with a loud bang, twisting themselves around Lupin's mouth, arms and legs, so that he toppled over and fell to the floor. Black lunged forward with an angry roar, but Severus' wand was on him in an instant. "Give me a reason," his voice was a deadly whisper, "Give me a reason and I swear I'll do it."

Hermione swallowed hard and stepped forward, as Harry, Ron and Black were frozen in place. "Professor…" she nearly whimpered as her father's eye locked onto her. "It…it wouldn't hurt to – to listen to what they've got to say…" At the moment, she had no idea where she stood within her father's mind. When he got angry, sometimes he forgot she was his daughter. "Would it?" Her voice had dropped to a low whimper as her father sneered at her.

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school," His voice was burning with anger and disappointment; she knew it was directed at her decision to follow Harry and Ron into danger without seeking him out. "You, Potter, and Weasley are out of bounds, in the company of a convicted criminal, and a werewolf. For once in your life, _hold your tongue_." His tone was almost pleading, and she trembled again. "B-but if – if there _was_ a mistake –"

Her father gave her a hurt look, and then he snapped. "KEEP QUIET YOU STUPID GIRL!" His eyes were so wild that she recoiled, "DON'T TALK ABOUT THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Sparks shot out of the wand in his hand, still pointed at Black's face, and Harry reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder as she whimpered. Even with the time she had spent with her father, she was afraid of him. She knew enough to know fear was wise.

"Vengeance is very sweet," Severus breathed, "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you." He seemed strange, consumed by personal hate, and beyond reason as Black pleaded for him to listen when he mentioned Dementors. "Come on, all of you." He snapped his fingers and the ends of the cords binding Lupin flew into his hands. "I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the Dementors will have a kiss for him too."

Before Harry knew what he was doing, he had crossed the room and blocked the doorway. "Get out of the way Potter; you're in enough trouble as is. If I hadn't been here to save your skin –" Harry didn't move. "If Professor Lupin hasn't killed me yet, I highly doubt he plans to. I've been alone with him loads of times this year, having defense lessons against the Dementors. If he was helping Black, why aren't I dead?" Severus scoffed at Harry, "Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works." He hissed, "Get out of the way Potter!"

"YOU'RE _PATHETIC_!" Harry exploded suddenly, "JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OUT OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN –" "SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Her father's voice was shrieking, and Hermione knew she had to step in. No matter how scared she was. She stepped forward quietly, as her father preached about how Harry ought to have been thanking him, instead of disobeying direct orders, and held up her wand shakily, "You – you won't listen willingly…" she whispered, going un heard. She saw Harry and Ron prepare their wands, and cast her spell first. "_Petrificus totalus!_" He father toppled over, stiff as a board, as Harry and Ron shouted their disarming spells, missing by mere inches.

Hermione threw herself down beside her father and conjured a pillow to place under his head, "I'm sorry father…" she whispered so quietly that he almost didn't hear her, "You _have_ to listen. If you're right…I'll never disagree with you again, but I think there's something else going on…" She explained very quietly, as her father glared up at her. It was quite obvious she would be grounded all summer. But she didn't care; they had to know _what _was going on.

She stood up shaking as all eyes were on her in awe. "Blimey," Ron gasped, his wand hanging limp in his fingers, "You just keep getting more…more…I don't even know; I think we've been a bad influence on you." She blushed shamefully, as she looked down to her feet. "You shouldn't have done that," Black croaked, staring at the prone form of his rival. "You should have left him to me…"

"NO!" Hermione shouted, standing firmly between her father and Sirius Black, her wand pointing at him now. "Now he'll listen, he doesn't have a choice. So you and Lupin make your point. Tell us the truth, or I'll let him up right now, and I'll help him." Lupin lay struggling against the cords binding him, and Black lent down to help him out of them. Lupin straightened up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had cut into them, "Thank you." He said.

Hermione stayed silent. "I'm still not saying we believe you." Harry retorted, earning a nod from Hermione, whose bravado was beginning to fail her. "Then it's time we offered you some proof." Black said, "You, boy, give me Peter. Now." He demanded turning to Ron, whom clutched Scabbers closer to his chest.

"Come off it," he said weakly, "are you trying to say you broke out of Azkaban just to get your hands on _Scabbers_?" I mean…" he looked up to Harry and Hermione for support, though they had none to offer. "Ok, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat. There are millions of rats. How's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

"You know, Sirius," said Lupin, "that's a fair question. How _did_ you find out where he was?" He was frowning now as he turned to look at his friend. Black reached into his tattered robes with a skeletal hand and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, which he flattened and held out to show everyone. "The picture from the profit?" Hermione muttered, recalling Ron's family trip over the summer. She also spoke it aloud for the benefit of her father, whom likely couldn't see it clearly from the floor.

"How did you get this?" Lupin asked, looking intently at the much healthier Scabbers in the photo. "Fudge. When he came by to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page…on this boy's shoulder…I knew him at once. How many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts…to where Harry was…" His voice was haunted, as he explained.

"My god." Lupin gasped softly, staring from Scabbers to the photo in the paper, and back again. "His front paw…" Ron clutched Scabbers ever closer, "What about it?" He asked defiantly, "He's got a toe missing." Black stated. "Of course." Said Lupin, "so simple…so _brilliant_…he cut it off himself?" Black nodded, "Just before he transformed. When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart half the street with his wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself – and sped down into the sewer with the other rats…"

"Didn't you ever hear, Ron?" Lupin asked, "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger." The pieces were fitting together, but there were still holes. "Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something," Ron said defensively, "He's been in the family for ages –" "Twelve years in fact." Said Lupin, "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?" Ron gaped, fumbling to answer, "We – we've been taking good care of him!"

"Not looking too good now, is he?" Lupin said, looking at the balding, skinny rat intently. "I'd guess he's been losing weight since he heard Sirius was on the loose again…" "He's been scared of that mad cat!" Ron shouted, pointing roughly in the direction of Crookshanks, though Hermione and Harry knew that wasn't right. Scabbers had been ill when the Weasley's had returned from Egypt, well before he had met Crookshanks.

"This cat isn't mad," Black said hoarsely, reaching out and scratching lightly behind Crookshanks' ears, "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before I earned his trust, until finally I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me…"

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean?" What exactly had her cat been up to this year? "He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't…so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor tower; from a boy's bed stand I believe." She felt like she was sagging under the absurdity of the situation. "And, in the winter, when I was sick, he led you to me with that cloak." Black's words cut through her and she flinched.

"Right." She hissed, bringing her hand up to rub at her eyes, "I'd almost forgotten that." She felt Black's eyes on her face, burning with curiosity, "So, which teacher is the proud father of the bright young witch?" His voice dripped with amused sarcasm, and she froze. "For all you know, I lied about that. Perhaps I wanted to seem more important." Her eyes turned hard and her voice fell flat, she couldn't have any information being leaked. At least _one_ person in this room had turned over Lily and James to Voldemort. Whether it was Black or Pettigrew, one of them was a double-crossing death eater. She wouldn't have the enemy know anything.

"Seem more important to a stray dog?" Black said doubtfully, and she remained impassive. "I was upset that day. My best friends had just turned on me over a broomstick, my sister revealed she was a witch, and a very thoughtful gift was returned unopened. I wanted to pretend I had something worth returning to the castle for. That's all." She stared him dead in the eyes as she spoke, silently hoping for someone to interrupt.

"So, what else happened Sirius?" Lupin questioned, drawing the lanky man's attention away from Hermione. "Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it. This cat – Crookshanks, did you call him? – told me he left blood on the sheets…I suppose he bit himself…well, faking his death had worked once." Hermione's eyes fell on Ron and Scabbers, remembering the hurt she had felt at his accusations. Harry, on the other hand, jolted slightly, coming out of his shocked silence, "And why did he fake his death?" He asked furiously, "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"

Panic flashed across Lupin's face, "No, Harry," he said, "and now you've come to finish him off!" Harry continued, shouting once more. "Yes I have," Black replied, glaring at the rat with utmost hatred. Hermione stomped her foot down in frustration, "Then I should have let fa-Snape take you!" She felt her face flush as she stumbled to cover her mistake. "Harry – Hermione…Ron…" Lupin said quickly, holding his hands out in front of himself, pleading with them, "Don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down. But it's the other way around, don't you see? _Peter_ betrayed your mother and father – Sirius tracked _Peter_ down –"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry exploded with anger, "HE WAS THEIR SECRET KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP, HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!" Black sat, shaking his head slowly, ghostly tears making his sunken eyes sparkle as Harry pointed at him angrily. "Harry…I as good as killed them," he croaked sullenly, "I was the one who persuaded Lily and James to switch to Peter at the last minute. Persuaded them to use him as secret keeper instead of me…I'm to blame. I know it. The night they died I'd arranged to go check on Peter and make sure he was still safe. The moment I got there, to his hiding place, I knew something was wrong. He was gone, and there were no signs of a struggle." He took a ragged breath, "It didn't feel right, and I was scared, so I set out for your parent's house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, I realized what Peter must have done. What I'd done."

His voice broke and he looked away. Harry stood, shaking and confused, looking between Black and Lupin. "Enough of this." Lupin said, his voice steely, "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, _give me that rat_." "What are you going to do with him?" Ron asked tensely, eyeing Lupin suspiciously. "Force him to show himself." Lupin replied, "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."

Everyone watched tensely as Ron finally held out Scabbers, and handed him over to Lupin. Hermione felt her knee's wobble and she sat down rather gracelessly in a heap by her father. She looked at him momentarily, and saw him glare in the direction of Black, whom had swooped down and picked up his wand from the floor. It had fallen from his grip in shock when she'd jinxed him, and had lain forgotten.

Black approached Lupin and the rat, "Together?" He said quietly, "I think so," Lupin replied, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and holding his wand aloft in the other. "On the count of three. One – two – three!" There was a flash white-blue light and for a moment Scabbers was frozen, twisting madly in mid-air. Ron yelled, thinking his pet was in danger, and Scabbers fell and hit the floor with a loud thud. There was another blinding flash of light, then – Scabbers began to grow.

The scene reminded Hermione of a film she had watch in primary school, of a tree growing in fast motion. First, a head was shooting upwards from the ground; limbs began sprouting the next moment, and then there was a man standing where Scabbers had been, cringing in fear and wringing his hands in a nervous, mousy way. Crookshanks was snarling and spitting from the bed.

The man was very short, hardly taller than either Harry or Hermione. His thin and colourless hair was unkempt with a bald patch on the top of his head; he had the shrunken appearance of someone whom had lost a great deal of weight in a short time, and his skin was as grubby as Scabbers' fur had been. His face was peaky and pointed, in a very rat-like way.

The tiny man was breathing nervously, his tiny, watery eyes darting around searching for an escape route. "Well, hello, Peter." Remus said with a pleasant, but dry, tone as though he was not unused to rats turning into supposedly deceased school friends. "Long time no see."

Pettigrew fixed his watery eyes on Lupin, "S-Sirius – R-Remus…." His voice was high and squeaky, Hermione noted. His resemblance to a rat was rather uncanny. "My friends…my old friends…" Black's wand arm rose, but Lupin caught him around the wrist easily. "We've just been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed a few of the finer points as you were squeaking around on the bed –"

"Remus," Pettigrew gasped, beads of sweat breaking out over his pasty, sallow face, "you don't believe him do you? He tried to kill me, Remus…"

"So we've heard," Lupin said, his voice now cold as steel. "I'd like to clear up a few matters with you, Peter, if you'd be so –" "He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew shrieked, pointing at Black with his middle finger; as they took notice that his index finger was missing. "He killed Lily and James, and now he's going to kill me, too…you've got to help me Remus…"

Black was staring blankly at Pettigrew, gaunter than ever.

Hermione shuddered and grasped her father's sleeve tightly in her left hand. His eyes flickered over to hers, and she quickly released her grip. She wasn't doing a very good job proving herself, sitting crumpled on the floor clutching at the hem of his robes like a child. She mustered all her strength and clamoured to her feet, gripping her wand so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out," said Lupin evenly. "Sorted things out?" Pettigrew squeaked, resuming his frantic search for an escape route. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!" He shrieked, and Lupin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "You knew Sirius would break out of Azkaban? When no one else ever had?"

"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream about!" Pettigrew was now shouting shrilly, "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He Who Must Not Be Named taught him a few tricks!" A horrible, mirthless sound filled the room, echoing out from Black, whom had begun to laugh.

"Voldemort, teach _me_ tricks?" He said, sneering slightly as Pettigrew flinched at the name. "What, scared to hear your old master's name?" Black asked tauntingly, "I don't blame you Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know – what you mean Sirius," Pettigrew muttered, breathing faster than ever, his whole face shining with sweat. "You haven't been hiding from _me_ for twelve years. You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban Peter. They all think you're dead, or you'd be answering to them…I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information…and he met his downfall there. And not all his supporters wound up in Azkaban did they?" His sunken eyes flickered over to her father, and Hermione scowled. Her father had turned before the downfall.

"There are still plenty out there, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways…if they ever got wind that you were still alive Peter…" Pettigrew shrunk away slightly, "Don't know…what you're talking about…" his voice was shriller than ever. He wiped his face with his sleeve and turned to Lupin again, "You don't believe this – this madness, Remus –"

"I must admit Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat," Lupin's voice was even, but Hermione could hear the judging undertone clearly. "Innocent, but scared!" Squealed Pettigrew; "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban – the spy, Sirius Black!"

Black's face contorted in rage.

"How dare you," he growled, his voice bringing to mind the bear sized dog he had been earlier, "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter – I'll never understand why I didn't see you as the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us…me and Remus…and James…"

Pettigrew wiped his face again, nearly panting for breath now, "Me, a spy…must be out of your mind…never…don't know how you can say such a –"

"Lily and James only made you secret keeper because I suggested it." Black hissed so venomously that Pettigrew stumbled backwards a step. "I thought it was the perfect plan…a bluff…Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like yourself…it must have been the proudest day of your miserable life, telling Voldemort that you could hand him the Potters."

Pettigrew was muttering under his breath now, but his skin was becoming more ashen by the minute, and his eyes darted towards the door and windows every few seconds.

Hermione, struck by a sudden thought that leant her courage, coughed softly, "Professor Lupin?" She hated how timid her voice was, but she couldn't control it, "Can – can I say something?"

The middle aged Professor turned to look at her courteously, his greying hair falling into his eyes, "Certainly, Hermione," he said kindly. "Well – Scabbers – I mean, this – this man – he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?"

"There!" Pettigrew's shrill voice nearly made her jump, and the stout little man was looking at her in gratitude, pointing his maimed hand at her, "Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair on Harry's head! Why should I?" Hermione regretted asking her question now. She had merely wanted an answer; she hadn't wanted to defend the creepy man.

"I'll tell you why," said Black, "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for twelve years, they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all his power, were you? You'd want to be sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before going back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for information, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him…"

Pettigrew's mouth opened and closed silently several times, giving him the appearance of a fish out of water.

Hermione bit her lip, she had another question, but she wasn't sure how to go about asking it. How did one address a potentially wrongfully-convicted criminal without insulting him? Call him sir; Mr. or by his first name? She swallowed nervously and decided just to go for it. "Er – Mr. Black – Sirius?" Again her voice was much too timid.

Black jumped at being addressed so formally, and stared at her as though he'd long forgotten what it was like to be addressed politely.

"If you don't mind me asking, how – how _did_ you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use dark magic?" She had read countless books and articles, each claiming escape from Azkaban to be impossible. Unfortunately, Pettigrew seemed to think she was trying to come to his rescue again, and he began nodding frantically at her. "Thank you! Exactly! Precisely what I –"

Lupin silenced the shrill man with a look. Black frowned slightly at Hermione, though he did not appear to be annoyed with her. "I don't know how I did it," he began slowly; "I think the only reason I never lost my mind was that I knew I was innocent. It wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me…but it kept me sane and knowing who I am; helped me keep my powers. So when it all became too much, I could transform in my cell – become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know," He swallowed.

"They feel their way towards people by sensing their emotions. They could tell that my feelings were less human – less complex when I was a dog, but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else. But I was weak, very weak, with no hopes of fighting off Dementors without a wand."

"But then, then I saw Peter in that paper. I realized he was at Hogwarts, waiting and poised to attack; waiting only to hear of the dark side gathering strength first; so he could be sure of allies, if he handed over the last of the Potters he'd be sure to be welcomed back with honours." Black's eyes fell on Pettigrew again, "So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew he was alive. It was as if someone had lit a fire inside my mind, and the Dementors couldn't destroy it. It wasn't happy; it was an obsession, and it gave me strength, cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring me food, I slipped past them in dog form, it's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused. I was thin, very thin…thin enough to slip through the bars, and I swam back to the mainland as a dog. I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog, and have been living in the dark forest ever since."

Black's eyes flickered over to Harry, "Except, when I came to watch the Quidditch matches. You fly as well as your father did, Harry…" Harry stared straight back into Black's eyes. "Believe me," he croaked after a moment, "Believe me. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died first, before I betrayed them."

Harry, at long last, was seeing things clearly, he nodded once, before looking to Hermione and Ron for support. Hermione let out an uneven breath and smiled weakly; while Ron was still staring disbelievingly at the man that had been his pet rat.

"No!" Pettigrew wailed, falling to his knees as though Harry's nod had been his death warrant. He shuffled forward, grovelling on his knees, clasping his hands together as though praying, "Sirius – it's me…it's Peter…your friend…you wouldn't…" Black kicked his leg out in disgust and Pettigrew recoiled away from him. "There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them." He said.

Pettigrew turned desperately to Lupin next. "Remus!" He squeaked, "You don't believe this…wouldn't Sirius have told you of the change in the plan?" He was desperate, but Lupin would not be swayed. "Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter. I assume that is why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" Lupin asked calmly over Pettigrew's head. "Forgive me, Remus," Black replied, and Lupin nodded, "Not at all, Padfoot, old friend."

Lupin was now rolling up his sleeves as Pettigrew sat trembling on the floor. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing _you_ were the spy?" "Of course," Black said back, a ghost of a grin on his lips. As he, too, began rolling up his sleeves. "Shall we kill him together?"

Hermione felt her mouth go dry. She looked frantically to Harry, and Ron. She didn't want to witness a murder. There were enough demons running about her mind without seeing such horror.

"Yes, I think so." Lupin stated grimly.

"You wouldn't…you won't…" Gasped Pettigrew, he was full out panicking now, as he scrambled towards Ron on the bed. "Ron…haven't I been a good friend…a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you…you're on my side, aren't you?"

Ron, however, was now over his shock. He stared at Pettigrew with utter revulsion and dragged himself away from the edge of the bed, "I let you sleep in my _bed!_" But Pettigrew did not relent. "Kind boy…kind master…" he crawled closer to Ron, "you won't let them do it…I was your rat…I was a good pet…"

Black scoffed, "If you made a better rat than human, that's not much to boast about Peter." And Ron, pale from the pain and effort, wrenched his broken leg well out of Pettigrew's reach.

The stubby man turned on his knees desperately and lunged at the hem of Hermione's robes, grasping them tightly. "Sweet girl…clever girl…you – you wouldn't let them…help me…"

Hermione tugged her robes out of his hands quickly, tearing them along the hem, and backed away, wishing her panicked mind would recall the counter curse to give her father freedom to move so that he might protect her. But her mind was all over the place, grasping at every spell she had learned, refusing to find the one she needed.

Now trembling uncontrollably, Pettigrew turned slowly to face Harry. "Harry…Harry…you look just like your father…just like him…"

Now, Black lost the last shred of his patience. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?" He roared. "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?" Pettigrew winced and inched towards Harry, "Harry," he whispered, his hands outstretched, "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed…James would have understood, Harry…he would have shown me mercy…"

At this, both Black and Lupin stepped forward and grabbed Pettigrew by the shoulders, throwing him back onto the floor, where he sat, twitching up at them in terror. "You sold Lily and James Potter to Voldemort, do you deny it?" Black asked gauntly, shaking slightly himself.

Pettigrew burst into tears. "Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The dark lord…you have no idea…he has weapons you can't imagine…I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen…He Who Must Not Be Named forced me –"

"DON'T LIE!" Black bellowed, "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!" Pettigrew gasped in terror, and shrunk into himself slightly, "He – he was taking over everywhere! W-what was there to be gained by refusing him?"

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" Said Black; his voice dark and furious. "Only innocent lives, Peter!" "You don't understand!" Pettigrew whined, clutching his grubby hands to his face in agony, "He would have _killed_ me, Sirius!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" Roared Black, "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAYED YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!" Black and Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder over the quivering lump of a man on the floor. "You should have realized, Peter," Lupin said softly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you; we would. Goodbye Peter."

Hermione tried to shriek, but her voice failed her as the two men raised the wands in their hands, so she turned to face the wall behind her and covered her face with her arms. Instead of hearing the spells, or the thud of a body, however, she heard Harry's voice.

He had shouted, and she heard his feet moving, but she was too afraid to look. The voices drifted over her, and she realized Harry was stopping them killing the disgusting little man. "-We'll take him up to the castle," Harry's voice said, "We'll hand him over to the Dementors, he can go to Azkaban…just don't kill him."

Pettigrew's wheezy, shrill voice spilled out gratitude and compliments, until Harry kicked him away. "Get off me." Harry spat, and Hermione finally felt it was safe to look again, "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because I don't reckon my dad would want his two best friends to become murderers over someone like you." Things were still for a moment.

Then, both Lupin and Black lowered their wands. "You're the only one with the right to decide Harry," Black said slowly, "but think…think what he did…" "He can go to Azkaban," Harry repeated, "if anyone deserves that place, he does…" "Very well," Lupin said, "step aside please, Harry." The dark haired boy hesitated, "I'm only going to tie him up."

Harry stepped out of the way and thin cords shot out of Lupin's wand, binding Pettigrew the way Severus had bound him not long before. Black starred down at the wriggling, gagged man, and sneered, "But if you transform Peter," he growled, pointing his wand at him, "we _will_ kill you. You agree, Harry?" Hermione watched Harry look down coldly and nod so Pettigrew could see him. It was perhaps the first time she had seen him so cold; even when they had overheard the assumed tale in the Three Broomsticks he had been too angry to be cold.

Lupin turned to face Ron suddenly, looking, and sounding quite business-like, "Right, Ron, I can't mend broken bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey can, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing." He hurried over to where the red head lay on the bed and bent down. Then, tapping Ron's leg gently with his wand, he said "_Ferula._" Bandages spun their way around and up Ron's leg tightly, forming a splint.

With a hand from Lupin, Ron got to his feet and was able to put pressure on his bandaged leg with no pain. "That's better, thanks." He said gratefully. This brought attention to Severus' prone form on the floor. Hermione, unfortunately, was still drawing a blank on how to reverse the spell; something she attributed to her fear of his anger when he could get up.

"P-professor Lupin…" She stuttered slightly as she stepped forward, "I…I can't seem to remember…how to….can you?" She gestured towards her father slightly, and Lupin gave her a warm smile. "Ah yes Miss Granger, I suppose we should, shouldn't we?" He pointed his wand at Severus' chest and all at once, Severus felt his muscles relax, though he did not move for a moment.

He had listened, and watched; he'd had no choice in the matter. He was still angry, he still hated them all. However, he had to grudgingly admit that Black was _innocent_, at least where this was concerned. He turned his head and looked up at his daughter, whom was shaking slightly in fear of his wrath, and turned his head away to look at Pettigrew. The little lumpy man was the cause of Lily's death.

He sat up slowly and ran his hand through his hair, "Miss Granger," he growled, "attacking a teacher _is_ worth expulsion." There was no way he could expel his own daughter, but she did need to be punished. "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Ron shouted suddenly, hobbling his way over to defend Hermione, "All she did was –" "Ron!" Hermione frantically threw her hands over his mouth when he was close enough, "Please, Ron, I can handle it myself…I'm fine. Thank you." She pushed him towards where Harry was standing and turned back to offer her father a hand in getting to his feet, which he stared at a moment, accepting it only when Black, Lupin and Pettigrew were not looking.

He leaned down so his face was level with hers and spoke quietly, "We're talking about this once we get up to the castle." She nodded fearfully. He pulled away and straightened himself, acting as though he had not just been lying on a filthy floor. He looked about the room and saw Lupin chaining himself and Ron to the bound Pettigrew, and Black still sporting _his_ wand.

"I'll take _my_ wand now, Black." He held his hand out expectantly, but Black made no move to hand it over. "Right, so you can hex me and call for the Dementors? I don't think so." Hermione gave Harry a pleading look, asking him to help convince Black, but he shrugged indifferently. She looked up at her father and she could see his jaw was clenched, and a vein was throbbing on his forehead, she panicked and fumbled with her own wand holding it out to him. "Here…you can use mine. He'll give yours back when we reach the castle."

Severus, though furious with the insubordination of Black, was touched by his daughter's actions. Therefore, he found himself unwilling to accept her offered wand. "No." He said quietly, turning on his heel and starting out of the room. Lupin and Ron followed him shortly after with Pettigrew chained between them, and left her alone with Harry and Black.

Feeling rather more secure with the currents number of people in the room cleared her throat and fixed her gaze on Black, "You _will_ give him his wand back, if you want him to back up your story. And don't you _dare_ try and play any of your nasty pranks on him with his own wand, or so help me, I'll hex you into next Tuesday."

She couldn't decide who was more taken aback at this; Harry or Black. She put her hands on her hips and stared Black down, "Are we clear?" She asked her foot tapping on the floor impatiently. "Fine," Black replied, leaving the room next, so she and Harry were alone.

"Couldn't make it any more obvious could you?" Harry asked after a moment, gesturing toward the door his head. "Oh Harry, what did you expect me to do? Help you attack my-…er…Professor Snape…when there was a chance we could make him listen?" She wanted, rather desperately if truth be told; to just confess to him being her father, but it was too risky with Pettigrew around.

"Actually, I don't know what to expect from you anymore. You're like a different person –" Hermione stormed over to the dark haired boy and smacked him, "Just because one little detail has changed does not make me someone else!" Harry rubbed the side of his face and rolled his eyes, "I _meant_ because you've been breaking lots of rules. Not your dad." Hermione would have felt reassured at this, had the door not swung open again to reveal a very gloating Sirius Black, and a very pissed Severus Snape.

"I _knew_ it! Trying to seem more important to a dog, HA! _You're_ Snivellus' brat!" He was pointing a bony finger in her face, seeming quite proud that he'd finally figured it out. Hermione was too shocked to deny anything, and there was no doubt that Pettigrew had heard the proclamation. It was now, to her, so vastly important that they get him to the castle.

"Alright, we don't have time for this." Lupin's voice was final, and they made their way out of the decrepit old house and into the dirt tunnel. Hermione rushed forward so she was up by her father, so that Harry could be alone with Black. "Fa-" "Don't." Severus cut her off almost as soon as she had opened her mouth, and her face fell. She didn't like being at odds with her father.

"Do you know what this means?" Sirius' voice drifted up the tunnel in a soft echo, "Turning Pettigrew in?" Hermione, despite herself, smiled as she heard the hope in Sirius' voice. "You're free." Harry said, his voice echoing cheerfully along. "Yes…but I'm also…" Sirius paused awkwardly, "I don't know if anyone ever told you – I'm your godfather."

Hermione supposed this conversation would have been that much more awkward had they not already known this fact, and she was glad for Harry's sake that they did. "Yeah, I knew that," Harry said, as they continued to shuffle along single file through the dirt tunnel. "Well…your parents appointed me your guardian," said Sirius stiffly, obviously rather uncomfortable, "if anything happened to them…"

Hermione, despite being four people ahead of the conversation, swore she could hear Harry's heart racing at the implied meaning. "I'll understand of course," Sirius coughed nervously, "if you want to stay with your Aunt and Uncle. But…well…think about it; once my name's cleared…if you wanted a…a different home…"

Hermione looked over her shoulder, feeling very happy for Harry at the moment, and just barely caught the sight of Harry hitting his head on the low ceiling. "What – live with you?" He said quickly, rubbing his sore head, "Leave the Dursley's?" Harry seemed too shocked to shout an outright yes, and when Sirius spoke next it was obvious he thought it meant no.

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," he spoke quickly, turning his face away with embarrassment, and Hermione swore her father shifted uncomfortably beside her, "I understand. I just thought I'd –" "Are you mad?" All at once Harry seemed to come back to himself, and his voice filled the tunnel excitedly, "Of course I want to leave the Dursley's! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

Severus just barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes at the commotion behind him. He would forever hate Sirius that fact would never change; however, he couldn't help but be reminded of the letter his daughter had sent him before she'd started her first year. Children, though grating on the nerves at times, could be explosively enthusiastic. He remembered the enthusiasm with which she had asked to spend her holidays with him. He didn't think Sirius deserved that kind of hope and trust.

"You want to?" Sirius' voice was disbelieving for a moment, "You mean it?" "Yeah I mean it!" Harry insisted.

Hermione looked forward again, watching her father navigate through the dank tunnel, and she wondered what he was thinking about. She thought that, perhaps, he was trying to think of how he would punish her.

They continued on in silence from that point, as the tunnel became more cramped, until they finally reached the exit. Crookshanks, whom had been bobbing along just in front of Hermione, slunk past Severus' legs and up to the surface, where he pressed his paw to the knot that froze the tree.

Hermione followed her father out into the night air and nearly collided with his back. He was looking up at the sky, his face twisted with fear. "One wrong move, Peter," Lupin's threat floated out of the tunnel, startling him into action. Severus spun on his heel, "NO!" He shouted; but it was too late. Lupin and Ron had already left the tunnel with the struggling form of Pettigrew between them.

Clouds cleared from the sky, and the moonlight cast soft shadows on the ground. Severus grabbed Hermione's arm roughly and threw her behind himself for safety as Lupin went rigid in the moonlight. Sirius did the same with Harry as he realized what was happening, and they all watched in horror as Lupin's limbs began to shake convulsively.

"Oh my…" Hermione clutched the back of her father's robes in fear, "he hasn't taken his potion tonight…he's not safe…" Severus _really_ wished he'd been in possession of his wand now.

"Run," Sirius' voice was quiet, but they heard it clear as day. "Run! Now!" Nobody moved. Ron was still chained to Lupin. Severus found himself cursing the school's rules. As a teacher, he wasn't allowed to leave a student in a dangerous situation. "Hermione, take Potter and go; I'll get Weasley."

Hermione let go of his robes, "I don't want you to…you have to take my wand!" She tried to give him her wand, but he didn't take it, "No, go! I'll be fine." Lupin let out a terrible snarling noise, and Hermione ran for Harry, as Sirius and her father moved towards Lupin and Ron together. "Leave it to me," Sirius shouted, transforming into the bear like dog he had been earlier. Hermione watched her father's wand fall to the ground and bit her lip before diving for it.

"OI!" She caught her father's attention and threw it towards him. He caught it at the same time that the now, completely transformed werewolf had wrenched itself free of the chains binding it. Severus watched the massive dog launch at the werewolf, pulling it away from Ron and Pettigrew. He took the opening and rushed forward, grabbing a fist full of the chains keeping Pettigrew tied to the injured boy.

Pettigrew dove out of his grip however, and lunged for Lupin's wand. Severus held his wand at the ready as Pettigrew wriggled an arm free. There was a flash of light and Ron fell unconscious, toppling over Severus.

Hermione, tried to step forward, but Pettigrew turned his beady little eyes on her as her poor beloved cat went flying with another flash from his stolen wand. "_Expelliarmus!_" Harry shouted beside her, sending Lupin's wand flying out of Pettigrew's hand. "Stay where you are!" Harry ran forward, keeping his wand pinned on the stout man; but it was too late.

Severus got back to his feet as fast as he could, and made a grab for Pettigrew himself, but he was left empty-handed as he transformed back into a rat. "NO!" Severus roared, diving down, trying to capture the sneaky little bastard, but it was too late. Pettigrew was a fast rat, and he was already out of sight.

Hermione rushed after Harry, and they reached Ron just as Lupin let out a loud howl and ran into the forest. "Sirius, he's gone!" Harry shouted, catching the attention of the wounded dog, "Pettigrew transformed!" Sirius, though bleeding and covered in scratch marks, scrambled to his paws and took off after the rat's trail.

Hermione looked from Ron to her father, "Dad?" She watched as Severus slammed his fist into the ground and his arms quivered ever so slightly. "What did he do to Ron?" The red head's eyes and mouth were half opened, and he was definitely breathing, but he wasn't showing any recognition. "Come, we should get him up to the castle." Severus said stiffly, rising to his feet with a hefty scowl.

In the distance they heard a familiar whine of pain, as though a dog had been trodden on, and Harry hesitated only a moment before running off into the darkness, Hermione hot on his trail. Severus could do nothing to stop them; he could not abandon Ron in the helpless and prone state he was in, not with a werewolf about.

Hermione followed Harry as closely as she could manage, slipping every so often on the damp grass as they ran closer to the lake. The closer they got to the lake, the colder the night air became, until both realized what it meant – Dementors. The yelping stopped suddenly, and as they got ever closer, they saw that Sirius had transformed back into a man.

"_Nooo,_" he moaned, crouched over on the muddy bank of the lake, clutching his head with his hands, "_Noooo…please…_" Hermione skidded to a halt a few feet back, her vision blurring as her eyes rose to see nearly one hundred Dementors gliding over the lake towards them.

"Hermione!" Harry's voice seemed so far away, though he was no more than a few feet in front of her, at best. "Hermione, think of something happy!" She watched his blurred form raise his wand, and she tried to do so as well, but her left arm cramped and burned with such ferocity she nearly fell over.

She tried to clear away the fog in her mind, before the familiar voices could return, she dug for a happy thought, settling on the memory of first meeting her father; she heard Harry chanting an incantation, and she tried her best to copy it. "_Expecto-_" She fumbled over her words, she could hear her mother's cackle.

"_Expecto Patronum!_ Hermione, help me! _Expecto Patronum_!" Harry's voice was beginning to drift away again, and the Dementors were closing in on them without mercy. They last thing she heard before she passed out was Kathrine's voice; muffled and speaking of pride and power.

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><p>End chapter sixteen!<p>

Okay, so apparently I forgot to go through the chapters before uploading them, and am therefore missing the line break warnings I usually set up. So if there's a sudden jump that seems too big a gap in time, in the next three chapters, I'm sorry. I relly don't have time to do much more than skim over them right now. But I'll try to squeeze it in before they're all posted.

Viola, I even found time to proof read this chapter! I fixed five errors, where I had typed so fast I used the wrong conjugations. Like 'him' instead of 'his', and such.

Also, in true fashion, I would like to say that Year Four is starting on an up-beat note, and, this is going to be the year where the dynamics of Hermione's friendship with the Gryffindor boys comes to light.

Also, the next chapter will be mildly confusing, but rest assured, I explain the confusing bits.


	17. Waking Up

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Seventeen: Waking Up

Disclaimer: Don't own anything...except my collection of books...my current favourite is Pride and prejudice :)

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><p>Hermione became aware of several things all at once, as she awoke. Firstly, her eyes did not wish to open; second, someone had her hand in a death grip. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't force out a single sound. The grip on her hand tightened, and she heard the relieved sigh that rushed out of – what seemed to be a man's mouth.<p>

"Hermione!" Her father's voice shocked her eyes into responding to her brain, and they shot open wide. Severus was ghastly pale, and he looked terrified, but relieved at the same time. "I thought – I thought I was too late. You – you were unconscious, and the – the Dementors….I thought…"

Slowly she began to recall what had occurred just before she had passed out. Her mother's voice, the Dementors, her failed attempts at a Patronus. "Where –" her voice was weak and raspy, and she sat up with a jolt. Severus placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her from getting up further, "You're in the hospital wing. They're interrogating Black as we speak; both Potter and Weasley are still unconscious."

Hermione tensed and sought out her father's eyes, "Pettigrew, is he –" "Gone." She buried her face in her hands and winced in pain as her father pulled her hand away from her left eye. "Careful. You'll ruin the bandages." "Huh?" She looked down at her hand, seeing the few bandages scattered over small nicks and cuts. "Those aren't so bad, certainly nothing I can –"

Severus picked up an old tarnished mirror from the small table beside the bed and placed it in her hand gently. "This…I thought this got lost…" She held it up, and gasped in shock. She'd known she had been scratched and bruised; she had fought with the whomping willow after all, however, she hadn't thought much of it. Her left eye was surrounded with a dark bruise, and a large piece of gauze was taped firmly to her cheek, just under her eye. "What the –" "You had a splinter, Madam Pomfrey removed it, however the bark of the whomping willow tends to have strange effects on the body." He held up a small glass vial, containing a splinter of dark, blood stained wood, the size of a toothpick. "It's sort of, hallucinogenic, in a way. It slows brain function."

Hermione took the vial into her hands and stared down at it; this little splinter was the cause of all her confusion and weakness. "So…now that it's out, I'll be fine right?" She asked, running her index finger over the smooth surface of the glass. He didn't answer.

Madam Pomfrey swept over to her bedside with an armful of chocolate, "Oh good, you're awake; Severus I asked you to fetch me when she awoke, I need to –" The doors to the hospital wing swung open quite suddenly, and Fudge entered. On the cot beside her, Hermione could see Harry beginning to stir and awake.

"Shocking business…shocking…" Fudge's voice was aghast as he swept over to the bed Hermione was occupying. "It's a miracle none of them died, never heard of the like! By thunder, it was lucky you were there Snape." Hermione watched her father shift uncomfortably before getting to his feet. "Thank you Minister." He quickly looked away from Hermione's questioning glance, and Fudge grasped his hand in a firm shake. "Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class if I can swing it!"

Hermione's eyes darted over to Harry's bed and saw his own eyes flutter open. "Thank you very much indeed, Minister." Severus repeated, rather wishing that this conversation was _not_ happening in front of his daughter. "Nasty cut you've got there," Hermione looked up again in confusion and noticed for the first time that her father had a bandage wrapped around his head.

She tried hard to remember, but she couldn't think of when he could have been injured. He had been fine when she'd run off with Harry after Sirius. "Black's work, I suppose?" Fudge seemed quite content with pinning the entirety of the injuries sustained on Sirius without proof. "Actually, it was the willow; caught me by surprise when I was conjuring the stretcher for Weasley."

Hermione looked back to Harry's bed with concern the conversation turned to punishments. "-any other student would suspended at the _least_, leading his friends into such danger; they could have been killed. Or worse." Her father's voice was once again cold and hard, making her shiver where she was sitting. "Now, now, Snape, surely it's not all that –" "Mr. Weasley has been injured quite seriously, even Miss Granger may have sustained permanent damage to her eye and not to mention leading her into a swarm of Dementors –"

Hermione began shaking, her father's words falling away into a dull hum, as her mind repeated one thing over, and over. "…_permanent damage to her eye_…" She reached up and placed her hand gently over her bruised eye. "…_permanent damage to her eye_…" All at once the room began to spin around her and she fell back on her bed shaking like a leaf. "…_permanent damage to her eye_…"

Madam Pomfrey was at her side in an instant, with a large chunk of chocolate in her hand, glaring up at Snape as he finally stopped speaking. "Now really, Severus, I don't know whoever taught _you_ about delicate matters, but that is _not_ how you speak around patients!" Hermione refused to budge as the healer tried to place the chocolate into her hands. "Look, you've scared her half to death; that's it! Everyone out! These students need rest!"

Fudge backed away slightly from the dirty look Pomfrey sent their way, and stuttered nervously, "W-well, yes…Ought to get going. They're going to be ready to perform that kiss any minute….my duty to be there." He was half way to the doors just as Harry and Hermione leapt out of their beds. "WHAT?" They shouted in unison.

"Harry, Harry, what's this?" Fudge said, twirling his lime green bowler hat in his hands, "You should be resting, back in bed now…we've got everything under control –" Harry swayed on his feet slightly, but shook his head and fixed his eyes on Fudge, "You haven't! You've got the wrong man!"

Hermione clutched nervously at her robes, "Please, Minister, listen; I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean. And –" Fudge cut her off with a shake of his head, "Poor thing, confounded no doubt, and on top of that poisonous bark. And Harry as well." "WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry shouted; his voice slightly hoarse from over use that night.

Madam Pomfrey was now furious at the state of her patients, and stood up as tall as she could muster; "Minister! Professor! I must _insist_ that you leave. Potter is my patient and should not be distressed!" This, however did not have the effect she had hoped for.

"I'm not distressed! I'm trying to tell them what's happened! If they'd just listen –" Harry was furious, and Hermione didn't think he'd have ever stopped shouting if Madam Pomfrey hadn't shoved a handful of chocolate in his mouth. Just as she had managed to settle him back onto his cot, the doors opened again and Dumbledore strode in.

Harry was on his feet once again in a matter of moments, "Professor Dumbledore! Sirius Black –" half way to directing Hermione back to her bed, Madam Pomfrey gave up, and threw her hands up in exasperation. "For heaven's sake! Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist –"

Dumbledore held up his hand and her voice died before she could insist any further, "My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter and Miss Granger." He said calmly, "I have just been talking to Sirius Black –" "I suppose he's been feeding you the same lies," Severus cut in, his voice laced with bitter defeat.

"I would like to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore said calmly, "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy, if you would please leave –" "Headmaster, they need treatment and rest –" Madam Pomfrey spluttered, pulling a startled Hermione close to her, as though the Headmaster was going to try and let the children leave.

"This cannot wait, I must insist." The headmaster left no room for arguments, and Poppy regretfully released Hermione from her grip and stormed into her office. Fudge seemed rather more grateful to be going however, as he strode happily to the infirmary door and held it open, "The Dementors should be here now, I'll go meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

Severus did not move for a moment, he was torn. He, thanks to Hermione, knew the truth. And he still hated Black as much as ever. Dumbledore gave him a stern, pointed look, and he tensed. "You surely don't –" his voice was reluctant to work, "believe a word of Black's story?" He could barely speak above a whisper, hoping that Hermione might not have to hear the next part.

"I wish to speak to them alone, Severus." Dumbledore's face gave away nothing, as Severus stepped in closer, "Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at sixteen, you haven't forgotten he once tried to kill _me_?" "My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," Dumbledore's voice stayed calm and quiet, as he tilted his head towards the door faintly.

Knowing he was now dismissed, Severus marched out through the door Fudge was holding open, and once it was closed behind them, Fudge clapped him hard on the back and grinned. "How would our hero like to come along and watch, eh?" The potions master kept his face blank, "Yes, of course Minister." He replied evenly, as he allowed Fudge to lead him away to meet with the Dementors before going to where Black was locked up. All the way along, he wondered what the hell Dumbledore had been thinking.

"Professor, Black's telling the truth – we _saw_ Pettigrew –" Hermione burst out as soon as the door had closed behind her father. Beside her, Harry was nodding violently in agreement. "He escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf –" "he's a rat –" "Pettigrew's front paw, I mean finger, he cut it off –"Pettigrew attacked Ron, not Sirius!" They tried to explain as much as they could, as fast as was possible, however, Dumbledore silenced them by raising his hands and glancing at them over the top of his half-moon spectacles.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you do not interrupt me, as we have precious little time." His voice was quiet.

Hermione frowned, "Father saw him too! Why is he –" She was silenced once more with a stern look from the old Headmaster, and she reluctantly crossed her arms and remained quiet.

Satisfied he would not be interrupted for the moment, Dumbledore began speaking again. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word – and the word of two thirteen year old wizards is not worth much I am afraid." At this, Hermione scoffed and muttered under her breath that _she_ was _fourteen_.

Harry, unable to stop himself, burst out saying how Lupin could testify; for he had seen Pettigrew too. But Dumbledore shook his head, "Professor Lupin is in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. And I may well add that werewolves are so mistrusted by our kind, his word will count for very little as well."

Harry refused to take this, "But –" "Harry, _listen to me,_" Dumbledore's expression became hard, "it's too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape did what _had_ to be done."

"Listen closely, this is important. Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor, thirteenth window to the right of the west tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. Remember, both of you, _you must not be seen_. Miss Granger, you know the law." Dumbledore glanced down at his wrist watch, "It is five minutes to midnight, I am going to lock you in. Three turns should do it." He strode out the doors before they could ask any questions.

Hermione pulled her time-turner out of her robes and pulled it over her head to unloop the long golden chain. "Harry, come here, _quick_!" She said urgently as the dark haired boy stood at the foot of his cot pondering the Headmaster's words with confusion.

The boy snapped out of his thoughts and moved towards her, eyeing the chain and pendant. Hermione, growing impatient, stepped forward and threw the long chain around both of their necks, "Here, ready?" She didn't wait for a response however, and took the pendant into her hands preparing to turn it over when Harry came about his wits. "What are we doing?"

She turned the hour glass three times, and watched Harry's amazement as the darkness in the room began to dissolve around them. Through the blurs of colours and sounds, she saw him attempting to yell, and rolled her eyes. Perhaps she ought to have explained a little more first; oh well, too late for that now. As things began to slow and finish moving, Hermione led him down to the deserted entrance hall, while he was too dizzy to have protested, where sunlight was pouring in through the open doors.

"Hermione, what -?" Harry was confused and rather dizzy as everything stopped moving. Hermione looked around the hall quickly, and gasped as she spotted her father coming towards the doors from outside, she looked around and spotted a broom closet with the door ajar and tugged Harry towards it. "In here!" She pushed him into the cramp space and ducked in, pulling the door shut behind her.

"How…what…Hermione, what just _happened_?" She turned around to face Harry in the dark broom closet and sighed, "We've just gone back in time. Three hours to be exact." He looked fit to burst with questions, so she reached over and smacked his arm, whispering, "Shh, we have to be quiet, and we can't be seen." She lifted the chain from around his neck and carefully tucked the time-turner back into her robes.

"But –" "Harry, shhh, someone's coming…sounds like it might be us." She could hear footsteps echoing through the entrance hall, and it sounded like far too many feet for it to just be her father. It was possible they had made too much noise to hear him pass. She opened the door a crack and peaked out, paling at once.

"Okay, so it's not us." She whispered with her eyes locked on her father and Draco. They appeared to be having an argument, but that at least meant they were walking quickly towards the dungeons. Harry was peeking out the door over her shoulder in amazement. "So, if Snape's your dad…are you secretly friends with Slytherin?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Don't be silly. Most of the Slytherins don't know who I actually am. Actually, only one does." Her father and Draco disappeared down the stairs that led to the dungeons, and Hermione shut the door again. The sound of footsteps filled the air again and she sucked in a deep breath, "_this_ is us. We'll have to wait a few more minutes, so we don't accidentally see ourselves."

Harry began pacing back and forth in their limited space, "Where did you get that thing?" He made a gesture towards the pendant and chain she had tucked into her robes, and she nervously took a seat on an upturned bucket, "It's called a time-turner, and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back." She paused, wondering if she was going to have to state the obvious next or not. Harry didn't seem to make the connection and she sighed, "It's how I've been getting to my lessons all year. I wasn't allowed to tell anyone about it; it took a long time for her to convince the Ministry to allow me to have it."

"Why didn't Snape write them about it?" Harry was genuinely curious about the big secret. "Harry," Hermione warned, "it's a secret. The only people who know have been sworn to secrecy by _Dumbledore_. You and Ron will be tomorrow." She fixed him with a glare, "Now let's stay on topic, why did Dumbledore want us to come back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

The dark haired boy, thankfully, knew how to take a hint, and dropped his questions for now. "He said something about saving two innocent lives." He offered helpfully, leaning against the closed door. Hermione bit her lip in thought and drummed her fingers over her knee. "Hmmm…I wonder what he meant by – OH!" She leapt to her feet with a gasp, "Oh, Harry, we're going to –" "Save Buckbeak!" "But…how will that help Sirius?" She had never been this confused in her life. She was being encouraged to bend rules, by the Headmaster no less.

"How else do you think we'd get Sirius out of Professor Flitwicks office? And how else would he escape? They can go off together." It was moments like this when Hermione could clearly see the potential Harry had for piecing plans together. "If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle." She wished, not for the first time, that this year had gone better. "Well, we've got to try haven't we?" Harry said, pulling open the door to the broom closet.

"I suppose you're right. Okay, we need to get down to Hagrid's and hide somewhere that's close enough for us to see what's going on and not be seen ourselves." She said quietly, following him out into the deserted entrance hall. "We can go around the green houses," Harry suggested as they stepped out into the dying sunlight. "This is so dangerous; if someone is looking out the window…if Lupin see's us on the map…." "We won't show up, don't worry. I never saw multiples of you; and we'll run to the trees."

They broke into a sprinting pace and dashed across the school's vegetable gardens, behind the Herbology greenhouses, and well around the whomping willow, until they were finally safe under the cover of the trees. "There…" Hermione gasped, panting heavily as she leant up against a tree to catch her breath. "Come on, no time to waist, there's no telling where we were at this point –" "Where we _are_ Harry. Try and remember that. This isn't like the memory in Riddle's diary; we can, and will, be seen if we're not careful."

She pushed herself away from the tree and sighed, "Ok, let's get closer." They ducked under low hanging branches, and weaved over extruding roots until they had reached the tree line offering the best view of both Hagrid's hut, and Buckbeak's resting spot in the pumpkin patch behind it. Their timing was perfect, as they settled behind the forest growth; they saw Hagrid open his door, white faced and shaking. They heard Harry's voice drift softly across the distance and watched themselves be let in.

The moment the door was shut, Harry moved to leave the safety of their hiding spot, but Hermione managed to grab the neck of his robes before he could give them away. "What the _hell_ are you doing Harry?" She hissed, pulling him back so he was nearly beside her. "I was _going_ to free Buckbeak, like we were told to do." He replied, irritated. "We can't steal him yet, Harry, Fudge has to see him there first, or he'll just think Hagrid's set him free."

Harry, rather reluctantly, stayed put as she finally let him go, "Can I at least go grab Pettigrew before he-" "Harry, no!" She reached over and cuffed him upside the head, "You _can't_ barge in there. You could be _killed_." She hissed as he shot her a dirty look for having hit him. "Why not?" "Because, you're already _in_ there! What on earth do you _think_ would happen?"

She was certain she'd have a migraine by the end of this. "Imagine you're doing whatever, and suddenly, another you walks into the room, what would you _do_?" She knew that, in this case, it may not end as badly as it could, as she would know what was going on, but to break the most important law…

"I guess…I would think it was a dark wizard," Harry replied after a moment's thought, understanding dawning in his voice. "_Exactly_. Lots of fully grown, intelligent, wizards have wound up killing their past or future selves meddling in time. It's desperately dangerous; I've been risking far too much this year as is. If we barge in on ourselves, and the Ministry found out, I'd have my own cell in Azkaban, and you'd be right there with me."

"Ok. You've convinced me." Harry said, earning a sigh of relief from Hermione. "Good. Now, how are we going to get Buckbeak away? We'll have to find a place to hide him until it's time to rescue Sirius." She wanted to plan this as best as she could in the very few minutes that they had. Harry placed his hand on his chin in thought and looked between where Buckbeak was tied up, and the forest.

"Well," he said, "we could hide him in the forest. I don't think they'd expect that." She nodded, mulling over the idea. "You're right. They'd think for sure that any one stealing an animal that can fly would take it to the sky." She leaned against the closest tree and locked her eyes on the back door of Hagrid's hut, but Harry was restless, and there was something bothering him.

"Hermione?" He said tentatively, and she hummed in response, "Snape _was_ awake inside the shrieking shack, wasn't he?" She turned to look at him, her brow furrowed in confusion, "Yes. He was definitely awake." She knew where this was headed. "So, then why didn't he tell the Minister what really happened? Do you suppose he's afraid of Pettigrew being Voldemort's supporter?"

Hermione cursed suddenly as her eyes went wide. Of _course_! "Pettigrew is a _death eater_!" She gasped, "Hermione, what is a – what do you _mean_?" Harry leaned in close, but she ignored him. Because of Sirius' tactless shouting, Pettigrew had relatively enough proof to support the idea she was the daughter of Severus Snape. Her father had said himself that he had been a spy. There was no chance that they would be bringing in Pettigrew tonight, and so he would inevitably escape. _If_ he found Voldemort, it was highly likely all information would be passed on. "Harry," she said after her thoughts settled, "I really can't explain this, but know it's for the greater good."

The dark haired boy gave her a mildly annoyed look, "What are you going on about?" "I can't say. It's bad enough you know the first secret, things are bigger than they seem, and you'll know when you ought to. Just…don't hold it against him?"

Before he could reply, their attention was drawn back to Hagrid's hut, where they were standing out back with Hagrid and Ron. "Okay, there we are. Let's get as close as possible. I'm not certain we'll have much time to get Buckbeak out of sight." She whispered, watching as they disappeared under the cloak and Hagrid raced back through the hut to answer the front door.

They watched anxiously as Dumbledore stepped into the hut, followed by Macnair, the committee member and Cornelius Fudge. Their voices drifted out the open window, and they waited for someone to check on Buckbeak. Fudge's head appeared in the window, with Macnair right beside him, and they lingered a few moments before disappearing from view once again. "Now!" Hermione hissed, running out from the safety of the tree line, with Harry hot on her heels.

Buckbeak looked up, uninterested, as they approached, and Harry quickly bowed down, keeping his eyes locked on the Hippogriff. Whether Buckbeak had decided he liked Harry, or he saw no point in being difficult, they didn't know, but he bowed his head towards Harry allowing him to come closer, before resuming his original resting position.

Harry quickly undid the chain holding him to the post and tugged, "Come on Buckbeak, we need to get you out of here!" He whispered tugging harder as the Hippogriff made no attempt to move. It seemed like an hour had passed by the time he had coaxed Buckbeak to his feet, and even then, the Hippogriff stood his ground.

Hermione groaned as she watched the futile attempt, "Harry…we're running out of time! We have to go!" They could hear the conversation inside the hut quite clearly, and it sounded as though they had nearly finished signing all the papers. They had maybe a minute to be out of sight.

Harry gave one last mighty tug, "Hurry Buckbeak, we have to get into the forest, it's important!" He groaned, and the Hippogriff finally relented, and followed him into the trees. Not a moment too soon either, for as soon as they were hidden, the back door of Hagrid's hut opened to reveal Fudge.

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><p>End chapter seventeen!<p>

I'm relieved to know people have enjoyed my twist of Severus not being unconcious; I only hope they don't mind this chapter! Yes, poor Severus is torn, on one hand, he surely wouldn't mind seeing Sirius given the kiss; on the other, he'd much prefer it was Pettigrew. But Pettigrew is gone, and thus Severus must act as though he'd not seen or heard a thing about Pettigrew.

Next chapter is actually kind of funny, in my opinion, because after Sirius disappears, Severus isn't too pleased and he still has a mild conniption-fit, but he can't push too hard for Harry's expulsion, because it's equally Hermione's doing!

Haha I'd feel a lot worse about these author's notes if I didn't know that 99.9% of harry potter fanfiction readers have read the books, or seen the movies, or both! And the other .1% has probably read enough fanfiction to piece the series together on their own. (I add that in just because interesting fact! For most of the fanfiction I write, I learn everything I need to about the shows through fanfiction. I've seen less than ten episodes of Naruto, and I've only recently seen eight episodes of YuYuHakusho. Granted...InuYasha and Dragon Ball Z are exceptions. Those were two of my favourite shows for a year. And same with Ouran I guess. I probably have a dozen more stories in YuYu Hakusho and Naruto though. Not all posted; but I've got them written...actually that's a good idea. I should post some more of my other one-shots too.)

Now that I've rambled my way through another AN...time to post!


	18. What's The Use In Being Right?

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Eighteen: What's the use in being right?

Discalimer: Still not mine

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><p>Hermione refused to relax as Harry led Buckbeak behind her, "That was way too close." She muttered, highly uncomfortable with the risk they had taken. "Relax, we got out just fine. And it's comforting to know that the thud we heard before wasn't an execution, isn't it?" Harry said cheerfully patting Buckbeak's head.<p>

Hermione scowled, "Yes, I'm glad it was a pumpkin that got beheaded and not Buckbeak. But, Harry, do you _realise_ how much trouble I'd have gotten into if Fudge had opened that door even a few seconds earlier?" The thought of a cell in Azkaban was horrifying. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It was a necessary risk though. We need to get in view of the whomping willow. I have no idea what's going on."

She begrudgingly dropped the subject and stayed silent as they walked towards the edge of the forest until the large tree was in view.

"We should grab the cloak." Harry said, as they watched themselves appear, one after the other, on the darkening hill. "We _can't_. We'll be seen, and my father will need it. We can't change how things happened Harry. If we meddle too much, time could unravel." She didn't show it, but she desperately wanted to run out and grab Pettigrew away now. The very thought that he could be a danger to her life, a danger to her father, was almost enough to make her throw caution to the wind. But it was too risky. Too much could go wrong. So she had to wait, and plan.

They watched as Sirius bounded towards them and latched onto Ron's arm, "Ouch, looks worse from here doesn't it?" Harry said, wincing. They watched as Ron was dragged under the tree, and they heard his leg break in the distance. "Oh, it _does_ look pretty bad – ah, that'd be when I got the splinter." Hermione nodded as she watched the tree wallop on her and Harry. In a matter of seconds the tree froze, and they vanished from sight.

"Now we wait. Oh…look at that…" she groaned spitefully, watching Dumbledore, Fudge and the committee member leave Hagrid's and make their way up the hill. "_Right_ after we go down the hole. If we had hesitated even a moment, they might have come _with_ us." Harry only shrugged. "They probably wouldn't have listened." He said calmly.

They stayed in silence as they watched Lupin come running out of the castle, followed soon after by her father. "Harry," she said suddenly, as her father vanished from sight, "there's something I don't understand." She turned to look at her companion. "Why didn't the Dementors get Sirius, or us, for that matter?" Harry seated himself on the ground with a sigh. "I saw, just before I passed out, a great, galloping, silvery thing. It drove away the Dementors."

"But what _was_ it?" It seemed impossible to her. There had been hundreds of Dementors. What on earth could have driven them away? "There's only one thing it could have been," Harry explained, "A real Patronus. A powerful one at that." He plucked a bit of grass from the forest floor and twisted it between his fingers. "Who conjured it? Didn't you see them? Was it a teacher?"

"No, it wasn't a teacher. I saw him…but…maybe I imagined it. It's not possible." He edged around the question deftly. "Who did you think it was?" She insisted. She hated having gaps in her understanding of things, especially things as important as this. "I think," Harry swallowed nervously and looked away from her, "I think it was my dad."

She gaped at the boy next to her in pure amazement. How he could come to such a conclusion was unclear, though she was struck by pity. Perhaps it had been the stress of finding out about _her_ father, and the Dementors, and the horrible details they had learned not long before. "Harry, your dad's…well…_dead_…" she tried to be delicate, as he turned to look at her again. "I know that," he replied quickly. "Do you think…maybe it was his ghost?" She very much doubted his father was a ghost (as they likely would have come across him well before now,) but she wanted to know more.

"No, he looked solid." The darkness was almost so thick in the trees now that she felt isolated as Harry stood and walked a few feet away. "But, then –" "Maybe I was seeing things. I know it couldn't have been him; but it did look like the pictures of him that I have."

She sighed and twisted her hair around her finger, and they fell into silence once more.

It was nearly an hour later when they finally saw themselves emerging from the tunnel under the tree. She saw her father spin on his heel as the moon peeked out from the clouds, and bit her lip. She saw Harry shift his weight and stood up, quickly coming up behind him. "Harry, we have to stay put. There's nothing we can do." She knew what he was thinking, for she had had the same thought. If they could only catch Pettigrew, then nothing would change next year. But it was impossible.

Harry gave her a fleeting glance, "So we're just going to let Pettigrew escape all over again…" his voice was soft and dark. She frowned and turned her gaze to lock onto the scene before them. "You think I don't want to catch him? You have no idea what his escape means to me. But be realistic; how are we going to catch a rat in a dark forest?"

By now, Lupin had finished his transformation, and her father and Sirius were trying to get him away from Ron. "Ron's going to hate that," Harry commented, "owing his life to Snape of all people." They watched Pettigrew dive for Lupin's fallen wand, as her father lunged for the chains binding him to Ron. They watched Ron fall to the ground after being hit by the spell, and Harry suddenly froze. "Hermione, we have to move, now!" He gasped. "Harry, I keep telling you we –" "No, Hermione. Lupin's going to run into the forest any moment now, right?"

He was right. Lupin would be headed this way, they had to move. "Quick." She moaned, "Where do we go now?" Harry picked up Buckbeak's chain and started walking, "Back to Hagrid's. It's empty now, remember?" They had seen the gamekeeper stumble off towards Hogsmeade shortly after Dumbledore had left his hut.

They made it to the hut quickly, thanks to Buckbeak's enthusiasm to be headed back home. There was no denying that Hagrid had a way of befriending dangerous creatures. As soon as they were inside, Harry began pacing anxiously. She knew he was going to leave the safety again, and she knew he had to. They had no idea what was happening in here. "I have to go back out," he said impatiently, not five minutes later, making her sigh. "Don't –" "I'm not going to interfere." He left quickly, and she bit her lip, watching Buckbeak lounge on Hagrid's bed in the corner.

She didn't want to break the law, but she wanted to tell her father that she understood. She didn't blame him for not revealing Pettigrew's existence. Ten minutes later Harry had returned, beaming from ear to ear. "It wasn't my dad I saw," he said cheerily, "it was _me_. I cast the Patronus!"

"Harry, you weren't supposed to interfere!" She shouted, rousing Buckbeak from the nap he had decided to take. "It wasn't interfering, if I hadn't done it, we'd have no souls right now. One of them almost had you." She shivered and dropped the subject. "Fine. Ok, we need to get out there again. We need to know when we've been led up to the castle, and we need to time our rescue perfectly. It has to be done after Fudge and my dad leave the infirmary, and before they reach Flitwick's office."

Hermione was grasping Harry around the middle as tightly as she could. Flying a broom she could handle. Flying on a Hippogriff, not so much. They were nearly to Flitwick's office window now, and she greatly regretted being a part of the plan. "There!" Harry shouted suddenly, directing Buckbeak towards the castle. Once they were in reach, he knocked on the window and caught Sirius' attention. It was pretty amusing, she decided, the way his jaw dropped in pure shock at the sight of them. "Stand back," She said, pulling her wand out of her robes with one shaky hand and pointing it at the window. "_Alohamora._" The window swung open.

"How – _how_ –?" Sirius gaped, staring at Buckbeak. "Get on," Harry said, "we haven't much time. You've got to get out of here, they're fetching the Dementors." Mentioning the cold dark creatures urged Sirius to drop his questions and climb out the window. As soon as he was seated behind her, holding on to both of them, Harry directed Buckbeak up to the top of the west tower. They landed on the open balcony and Hermione wasted no time sliding off of the Hippogriff and onto the solid wood and stone floor.

"Sirius, you'd better go quickly," Harry said as he too slid to the floor. "They'll reach Flitwick's office soon and find you missing." "What's happened to the other boy, Ron was it?" Sirius asked urgently, unwilling to leave just yet. "He's going to be fine. Don't worry about him, go!" "How can I ever thank –" Hermione rolled her eyes and, along with Harry, shouted for him to go.

Sirius finally directed Buckbeak back towards the sky, "We'll see each other again," the Hippogriff took to the air, "You truly are you father's son." They were gone before his words faded away. "Come on, we need to get back to the Hospital wing."

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><p>Hermione collapsed onto her cot in the infirmary, huffing for breath. It was no easy task, going from the top of the west tower to the infirmary in ten minutes, without being seen. Not to mention keeping Harry from hexing her father and Fudge along the way.<p>

They had overheard Fudge's ecstatic proclamation that Harry would no doubt love to tell the prophet exactly how her father had saved him. _She_ knew why her father was going along with it, but to Harry it seemed like her father was exacting revenge on an innocent man over a schoolboy grudge.

Madam Pomfrey swept out of her office moments later, "Was that the Headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?" She sounded so irritable that neither Harry nor Hermione struggled as she force fed them heaps of chocolate.

They discovered the very moment Sirius' absence was noticed. An enraged roar echoed through the distance, and Hermione couldn't help wondering if it was her father or the Minister that they had heard. The doors banged open a minute later, revealing the furious forms of both. "He must have disapparated, Severus –" "HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Severus roared, "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS – HAS – SOMETHING – TO – DO – WITH – POTTER!"

Hermione flinched as the two men stormed towards Harry's bed. It became apparent as they got closer, that Fudge was less angry, and more trying to console her father. "He's been locked up, be reasonable now –" Dumbledore strode in behind them, looking mildly concerned.

"Out with it Potter! What – did – you – do!" Her father shouted hoarsely as he got ever closer. Harry seemed frozen in place, disbelieving of what was happening. Hermione stared at her father, hurt shining in her eyes. If he exposed what they did, not only would they both be expelled, but she would be in Azkaban before the night was over.

Things might have carried on further, if Severus hadn't caught the hurt look on his daughter's face. The colour drained from his face completely as he realized what must have happened. "See here, they've been locked in this room since Dumbledore left them…" Severus took a deep, jagged breath, and turned to face the Minister. "I – you're right. Forgive me; perhaps I was hit harder by the tree than I thought." He left the infirmary without looking back.

"He just needs rest, I think. It's been a long night." Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Fudge, extending his arm to the door way, "We'd best let the children rest now as well." As sudden as the entrance had been, the exit was faster. Madam Pomfrey locked herself inside of her office once the Infirmary doors were once again closed and locked.

"What the bloody _hell_, Hermione!" Harry exploded, turning on her. "Oh please Harry, you know how much he disliked Sirius, and he certainly doesn't like him any more for giving dangerous information to the enemy! Don't you look at me like that – I'm _not_ my father."

Their bickering woke Ron with a low grunt of pain. "What – bloody hell – you fighting 'bout?" He asked groggily, forcing himself into a sitting position on his bed. Harry crossed his arms angrily, and paced around for a moment, "You tell him." He said as he threw himself down on his own bed.

Hermione groaned and made her way to Ron's bedside.

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><p>When they were discharged from the hospital wing at noon the next day, Hermione found Draco waiting in the corridor, scowling. "What are you doing here?" She asked suspiciously, holding back both Harry and Ron from speaking. Draco didn't answer, as he looked at his Gryffindor rivals over her shoulders.<p>

"They already know so spit it out. What's up?" She really didn't have the patience for this discussion right now. "Finally told them, huh? Whatever. He wants you to come to his office, now." She felt Ron grip her shoulder, "Do you want –" "Ron. No. You and Harry go to the common room. And so help me, if you say one thing about it, I'll make you regret it." She turned and gave them both a warning look as she spoke. The last thing she needed was her identity roaming all over the school.

She spun on her heel and strolled off towards the dungeons with Draco by her side. As soon as they had turned the corner, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from going any further. "Look…about the library…" he kept his voice low as a light pink tinge spread over his cheeks.

She groaned, "Draco. Stop. I'm still mad at you, and I have more than enough to deal with today. I'm likely going to be expelled." "Come with me to Hogsmeade." He said firmly, as though she hadn't spoken. "No. I will not be –" "There's no one else." He persisted, pulling her closer, until she could feel his breath on her face.

"No." She pulled back and gave him a hurt look, "That doesn't make anything better, Draco. You hurt me. Now can I go face my father? I'm in enough trouble as is." He gave her a final, desperate, look before releasing her. "Fine. I'm supposed to walk you down. Come on." He said awkwardly, stepping in front of her so she couldn't see the hurt on his own face as they made their way in silence.

It took ten minutes to reach the door to her father's office, and when the door swung open she was surprised to see Julie seated by the fire with her father. "Julie, what are you doing here?" She didn't receive an answer until she and Draco had both been ushered into the small room, and the door was closed behind them.

"I wrote Julie this morning and she arrived on the Knight bus an hour ago." Severus swirled his glass of fire whiskey, wondering where to begin. He had also spoken with Lupin, before breakfast, about her exam the day prior. Did he begin by comforting her about her fears, or punishing her for the rules, and _laws_, she broke?

His silence unnerved her, as she shifted closer to Draco. Even though she was still hurt and angry, it was comforting to be near a friend when her father was like this.

Severus turned to face Hermione and frowned, he should probably get the worst of it out of the way first, and then perhaps he could save face at the end by being fatherly. "You could have been sent to Azkaban." He said thickly, feeling clammy at the very thought, "You broke _three_ laws. Three! Not to mention all the school rules;" he set his glass on the floor and buried his hands in his hair. "Do you _realize_ that?"

Hermione gripped the sleeve of Draco's robes as her knees shook. "Yes." She whispered, "I know. But I had to." Severus shot to his feet, his hands falling to his sides, where he clenched them into fists. "You didn't have to do any of it! You ought to have been in the castle, _sleeping_!" His voice was raised, though he wasn't shouting. "You could have been killed, or worse! Now Pettigrew knows everything! Do you realize what this means?"

She swallowed nervously and nodded. "If he finds Voldemort, the truth is out. And we'll be in danger." Beside her, Draco shuddered at the name. "I won't apologize," she gathered the courage to look her father in the eye, "I did what was right. I'll stand by that, even if you scream till you're blue in the face." Her view of him was a little blurry, but she refused to look away or blink before he did.

"Severus, let her sit. She looks dreadful." Julie's voice startled both father and daughter out of their staring competition, "I don't need to sit." Hermione insisted, more for the fear that she would miss in her attempt to sit, with her eye as blurry as it was. She knew she would be needing glasses.

"Just – just get on with it. What's my punishment? Am I expelled?" She tried to put on a brave face, but she trembled at the thought of being kicked out and having her wand snapped. She would be an open target.

Severus was taken aback by her words, "No. You most certainly are not!" He replied instantly. There was no chance he was going to disarm his only child from the dangers ahead. "You are, however, grounded. You will not be leaving the house this summer." She scoffed at her father and released her grip on Draco's robes, "That's hardly fitting as a punishment. I ought to be suspended." She didn't want to start getting off light on punishments now, not that she wanted to be suspended either.

"You will also be dropping Muggle Studies. And handing over your time-turner." She pulled the object in question out of her robes and shrugged, "Fine. Why Muggle Studies, though?" Her father's lips quirked into an odd sort of half smile, "I refuse to listen to Burbage rage about you any longer."

"What is a time-turner?" All eyes turned to Draco, as if they had only just remembered he was still present. "Well?" He asked impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't want to be here now, he wanted to be back in his dormitory, sulking on his bed over having been rejected. But, if he _had_ to be here, they were going to answer a few questions.

"I…er…" Hermione looked between her father and Draco, "Am I…allowed to explain?" She had promised to explain to her blonde friend, months ago, but she really didn't want to be in any more trouble. "If you wish." Her father said after a moment, "I must take this up to the Headmaster's office. Julie will be staying to watch you while I'm gone." He didn't want to overhear anything between his daughter and godson, but there was no way he'd be leaving them _alone_ in a secluded room. Not a chance.

He swept out of the room a moment later, and was nearly at the end of the hall when he heard a scuffle behind him and turned to see Julie stumble into the hall. "What are you –" she rolled her eyes at him, "I think they have something to work out in private." She said with a laugh, deciding not mention it was Draco who'd sent her into the hall and not Hermione. Severus dearly wanted to barge into his office and break up whatever was happening in there, but he really had to go to Dumbledore's office. So, with a groan of protest, he turned and made his way out of the dungeons.

Inside his office, Hermione was staring down at her feet, trying to figure out where to begin. "A time-turner -" she shook her head suddenly, deciding that was a terrible way to start. "You remember how I've been taking so many classes this year right?"

Draco nodded slowly; he did recall catching a glimpse of her very odd time table in the library once. "Well…in order to fit all the classes into one year, they had to be doubled up. On any given day I would have to attend two or three classes at nine am, two after lunch, and two after dinner." She couldn't help feeling like he wasn't quite getting it, as he stared at her blankly. "So, I've been using the time-turner to redo hours. It's the reason I turned fourteen in February."

Draco knew what a time-turner was, he had seen them before, and he had read about them in the library at home. Though he was enjoying watching her stumble over her words, he hadn't asked Julie to leave just so he could have Hermione explain something he already knew. So he quietly moved forward until he was close enough, and pinned her to the stone wall in one swift movement.

Hermione squeaked as the air rushed out of her lungs and the cold stone wall was pressed flush against her back. "Draco?" She gasped his name as air returned to her. His eyes locked onto hers and his face was so close that their noses brushed against each other.

He slowly leaned in closer, angling his face, and just before his lips could make contact with her own, she turned her head to the side, with a heavy blush on her cheeks. His lips were soft and warm, as they landed on her right cheek, and his breath tickled her as he pulled away. "Why did you do that?" He asked thickly, bringing one hand up to make her face him again.

Her brow furrowed as she looked into his slate gray eyes, "Why did _I_ do _what_? Not let you kiss me, after I specifically told you that I'm not interested?" She placed her hands on his chest and shoved him away. "Why did you just try to kiss me?" Draco stumbled slightly as he was forced back, and he began to feel frustration building up. "I want to make it up to you, but you're making it very hard."

She scoffed and crossed her arms angrily over her chest, "You've done enough, thanks. You and your dumb games – I don't much appreciate being treated like some kind of easy, desperate slut!" He flinched at her choice of words before stepping in closer again, "I never treated you like a slut!" He responded sharply, earning a glare. "Oh right. Because it's complimentary to tell a girl you can squeeze them in between two others on the same day, Draco!" She stepped closer too, trying to stare him down as her hands fell to her sides.

"I _told_ you, there's no one else! What Pansy told you about Daphne wasn't right! I was getting her to go with Theo." Draco stepped in again, and now he was towering over her, even though he was only slightly taller than her. Hermione wanted to hit him again, she really did, but she held back. "That doesn't matter, Draco. You implied it." She turned away from him and stalked over to the door. She wanted to be anywhere else right now.

Her vision blurred as she got closer to the door, and she missed the handle. "Damnit!" She screamed, slamming her fist on the door. The door swung open to reveal both Julie and her father, and she pushed past them, eager to escape. Draco chased after her, ignoring the questioning look from his godfather.

By the time she reached the staircases, one that went up to the rest of the castle, and one that went down to the Slytherin dorms, she was relying on her memorized layout of the school to avoid falling. Draco caught up to her as she reached the stairs and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Watch it!" He hissed, bringing her back a few steps.

"You watch it! I'm going to find Harry and Ron, so if you'll excuse me –" "What are you, blind? That was the way to the Slytherin common!" Hermione felt her face flush with heat as she wordlessly made an 'oh' shape with her lips. She had _thought_ she'd picked the right staircase. She probably would have broken her neck falling down those stairs. "Oh." Her voice returned to her weakly, and Draco dropped his hold on her arm. "What the hell is wrong with you today anyway?" He asked bitterly, miffed that she had barely acknowledged him, except to shout.

"I – I can't see very well. And…and some one knows something they shouldn't. Didn't you hear my father shouting earlier?" She really hadn't wanted to admit to this. "Well, yeah, I heard him. But who the hell is Pettigrew?" She sighed, "He's the one who sold out Harry's parents to Voldemort, even though they were friends in school." Draco's brow furrowed and he brought his hand up to his chin in thought, "I thought it was Black who betrayed them?"

She shook her head, "Everyone did." "I thought Black killed the other guy, Pettigrew, or whatever." She rolled her eyes, "Everyone did. But that's not how it went down. Pettigrew faked his death after blaming the attack on Sirius. But last night, we heard the truth from Pettigrew himself."

At this, Draco grew more confused. "But the prophet this morning said Black had escaped again. It didn't say a single thing about Pettigrew being alive, or in custody."

She placed her hand over her eyes and groaned. "Yes, that's because Pettigrew _escaped_. And he's likely off to find Voldemort wherever he's hiding. And therefore –" "how does that put you at risk?" She liked him, she really did, but sometimes talking to him was difficult. "I was getting to that. It just so happens that he found out who I am before he escaped. He very well may not know what to do with the information, but if he does say anything…"

Draco finally pieced the words together and understood. It was likely that her life would be on the line more now than ever. All because she'd blindly followed twiddle dee and twiddle dum into action again. "I'm with uncle on this one." He said after a moment, earning himself a pinch on the upper arm. "You would be." Hermione laughed, turning towards the stairs again. She blinked a few times to focus her eyes and set off up the correct stairs.

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><p>End chapter eighteen!<p>

One last chapter to go in Year Three.

I'm trying to figure out how Year Four is going to be done. I won't begin posting it until I've at least finished writing the summer; which is more for your benefit than mine. If I'm more than a chapter ahead of what I'm posting, then I won't be scrambling to write things, and you'll get better thought out plot.

Also; in accordance to a review I received earlier, I may even be doing a little Dramione in the summer of Year Four. But We'll see how far it goes. So far I have Hermione wishing to play summer league football. I was even thinking I may make Draco do it too. Maybe.

But, enough of that; I thought it was kinda cute, Draco trying to kiss Hermione in this chapter, and her turning away. They'll get their kiss, but the moment's just not right...


	19. Loose Lips Sink Ships

A girl named Hermione Granger: Year Three

Chapter Nineteen: Loose lips sink ships

Disclaimer: Oh I wish I did.

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><p>It was the night before the return trip home on the Hogwarts Express before Harry and Ron had time to corner Hermione for answers.<p>

"So Snape's your dad." Ron said, pacing in the grass by the lake like a detective, with his hand on his chin in thought. "Yes." She replied evenly, flipping over a page in her book. "And Malfoy – of all people – has known all along?" "Yes, Ron. I do believe that's what I told you." She said humourlessly, looking up from her book long enough to assess that neither boy found it funny.

Harry sat down beside her with a soft '_thud_' and plucked the book out of her hands, "We haven't got a lot of chances to discuss this, thanks to your rules, so pay attention." He scolded her, though she could tell he was near laughing beneath his ire.

"Harry," she sighed, "Ron, I don't know how much more I can tell you right now than Dumbledore told you in his office." Hell, she didn't even know what Dumbledore had told them. "All he could say was that it wasn't to be spoken of in the presence of _anyone_." This didn't surprise her.

"I don't know how I can explain it any better," she said, lying back on the warm grass, folding her arms behind her head. Harry and Ron exchanged a look before staring at her, "You could at least tell us _why_." They said together, making her tilt her head to the right slightly in agreement. Certainly it would be better to at least tell them why it was a secret. It would probably prompt them to be better at keeping it too.

"Well, you know Voldemort had his followers – the death eaters – and, during the war, my parents were on their side." She gave them a stern glare, warning them against cutting her off. "My dad switched sides _before _the war ended. But he's being used by Dumbledore as a double agent." She was careful to ensure her voice was a low enough volume that no eavesdroppers could possibly hear.

"My mum ran off, but she was still one of them, and had me. I was raised by Jane, David, and Julie; and the wizarding world assumed Kathrine never had her baby." It was weird, explaining why she had to remain a secret, when she'd had to discover things on her own. When she'd first learned that she couldn't tell anyone who her father was, the best reason she'd been given was that it could be dangerous. "And, after I was attacked in the summer before second year, dad went around his social circle and said I had died. So I could remain Hermione Granger at school."

She liked being Hermione Granger, especially at school. She could only imagine the way people would have treated Hermione Snape. No, keeping the muggle name did not bother her in the slightest anymore; besides, Hermione Snape sounded awful, she'd have had to use her middle name, Jean, to use her father's last name.

"So, you're afraid the death eaters are going to try and kill you if they find out you are who you are?" Harry asked after a moment, and she bit her lip. "Something like that." She absolutely refused to allow them to know about her mother attempting to mark her, or her fear of being forced to join Voldemort if he ever rose to power again.

Ron sat down on her other side and sighed, "If Dumbledore's afraid of that; does this mean he really believes that You-Know-Who will be back?" This was something they had always tried to avoid speaking of. They all knew that the Headmaster didn't believe that Voldemort was actually dead, and in their first year, Harry had seen it himself. Voldemort was still living, existing as a leech on the life of others. To imagine him being in power once more was horrifying.

"Yes." She whispered mutely, "That's exactly what it means." She hoped that the Headmaster was wrong, but she knew, deep down, that he was right. "Remember the prophecy?" Harry said suddenly, picking a twig off the ground and using it to trace in the dirt. "'_Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than before.'_"

"We'll have to learn to protect ourselves." Harry said, as he finished quoting what the Divination Professor had said.

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><p>Hermione lay awake on her bed, it was only about three in the morning now, and in two hours she was planning to sneak down to the great hall and see her grades. The last week had been strange, there had been some shouting between her and the boys; they were not particularly happy that Draco was the Slytherin aware of her identity, or that he had known first. But she'd eventually managed to settle them down, telling them he only knew because her dad was his godfather.<p>

She chuckled softly to herself, Harry and Ron had seemed to assume that this meant their connection was more of a sibling sort, and she'd decided not to correct them. Everything Draco had done and said this year, excluding the bits at the Quidditch pitch, had been hurtful and misleading; and she was wondering if he may not be right.

Their friendship was hard enough, trying to add feelings into the mix was painful. Perhaps in the future, they would be able to work something out. For now they were young, and she didn't really want to be dating anyone. She figured she'd probably done enough to her poor father's nerves this year.

When the clock beside her bed let out a soft '_ding_' at quarter to five, she climbed out of bed and dressed in her uniform. She tied back her hair and made her way out of the room silently. The stealth of her escape, however, was hindered as she tripped and fell down the stairs, landing in a heap on the common room floor.

By the time she had managed to stumble into the hall, she could barely see at all, having aggravated her eye when she'd landed. So when she saw the blurry person standing a few feet away, she felt her panic was justifiable. "Who's there –" "Relax, 'mione." Draco's voice caught her off guard for a moment, but she realized it was silly to have thought it would be anyone else. Who else in their right minds would be out of bed and dressed by five in the morning?

"Oh. Sorry, I can't see a damn thing." She said sheepishly, blushing as he stepped forward and looped his arm through hers. "Guess I'll have to lead you down then. By the way, uncle says you're getting glasses." He snickered as she rubbed at her left eye with her free hand. "Great," she mumbled, "as if I don't get teased _enough_ as is; now I get to add 'four eyes' onto the list of insults."

They made it down to the great hall quickly and Draco directed her to her envelope before going off in search of his own. Hermione blinked furiously, trying to adjust her eyes as she pried open the envelope. It was no use however; she couldn't pick out her grades from the inky blurs.

Draco was by her side not long after, mumbling about his awful Divination grade. "What did you get?" He asked casually, turning his attention to her. "Oh, me? I got twelve blurs." She replied sarcastically, making him laugh and tug the paper out of her hands. "Oh no, would you look at that? You've failed it all and they're switching you to Hufflepuff."

She quickly snatched the paper out of his hands, trying to see if he was being truthful, until his laughter let her in on the joke. "You prat, I haven't failed anything, have I?" She began laughing with him as he threw his arm over her shoulders, "Yes you have. You've failed Divination." He said very gravely, giving her a slight squeeze.

She rolled her eyes, as the blurriness began to fade away into clarity, "No, I _quit_ Divination. There's a difference." She gave him a pointed look at which he shrugged. His arm stayed firmly where it was as she attempted to dislodge it, "Draco, let go would you? I can see fine now." He nodded, but didn't comply, instead plucking a grape from a small bundle that had appeared on the table. "Looks like the elves know we're here. Why couldn't you see earlier?" He popped the grape into his mouth enjoying the bitterness of it.

"I fell down the stairs." "That explains the black eye." He ducked away as she held up an overly glossy plate to check if he was lying again. Seeing that her eye was no more bruised than it had already been, she reached over and smacked him on the arm.

"I feel like we've come around in a full circle this year," She sighed, pouring some fresh coffee into the mug by her plate, "things are going to stay like this, aren't they?" She wanted things to be easy like this; she liked the simplicity of the morning. Everything was predictable. Yes, Draco was sitting a little closer than usual, and yes, she wanted him even closer. But it was easy to forget the hurt right now.

Draco stood with a sigh, "I guess." His voice was laced with disappointment, and he was halfway to the doors when they opened, revealing Severus looking exhausted. "Why it doesn't surprise me to find you two out of bed at this hour, I'll never know."

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><p>The Hogwarts Express was as full as ever, as it pulled out of the Hogsmeade station. Thankfully, for the return trip, Hermione, Ron and Harry had managed to secure a private car, in which to relax and talk. "I'm dropping another course," she had purposefully waited until they were on the train to tell the boys her punishments. "I'm not going to be taking Muggle Studies next year. So I won't be using the time-turner anymore."<p>

"I couldn't handle another year like that; do you know, I'll be fifteen in September now?" She had also purposefully waited to reveal this piece of information. Ron resumed the grumpy disposition he had held for the last week as she spoke. "I still can't believe you didn't tell us any of it. I thought we were friends."

She rolled her eyes at the red head and frowned, "I guess it slipped my mind as I was being accused of being thoughtless and heartless over a broomstick and a pretend rat." She took great joy as both boys winced regretfully. "Okay. Point taken. But the bit about Snape," surprisingly it was Harry having the hardest time adjusting to the potions master being her father.

"Not this again Harry," she slouched back in her seat and rested her head against the cool windows, "that's a _secret_. If I catch wind of any one blabbing it, I'll have you _all_ obliviated. And I'm not joking." She neglected to mention that her father had made the offer before breakfast that morning. He had informed her he had no problem what so ever with illegally obliviating the memory from both boys.

Hermione watched the castle slowly slip out of view, and she heard Harry's distracted sigh. "Oh cheer up, Harry." She said sadly, knowing he was thinking regretfully of his near escape from his aunt and uncle's. "I'm ok, just thinking about the holidays." _Well duh,_ she thought with a laugh, as Ron stepped up to attempt at breaking Harry out of his mood. "I've been thinking too, you have to come stay this summer!"

"I'll fix it with mum and dad, and then I'll call you on the fellytone." Hermione burst into a fit of giggles over his pure-blooded ignorance of muggle technology. "Ron, it's a _telephone_, perhaps you should take Muggle Studies next year." With his face going red from embarrassment, Ron brushed off her suggestion and hurried on with the rest of his summer plans. "It's the Quidditch world cup this summer, you have to come Harry. Dad's going to try and get tickets."

The thought of actually seeing a professional Quidditch match cheered Harry up greatly, distracting him enough to join in several games of Exploding Snap, which were lost against a smirking Hermione.

A few hours later, as the lunch cart came and passed, something showed up which vastly improved Harry's mood. A small grey owl was bobbing along beside the train, carrying a large, thick letter. They let it in immediately and it began zooming around over their heads, hooting in excitement.

After a moment of its loud hooting, it awoke Archie, Hedwig and Crookshanks, and Ron snatched it out of the air. "Hey, it's got your name on it Harry." He said, untying the letter from the tiny owl's leg. The dark haired boy wasted no time tearing open the envelope, a grin breaking over his face as he read it.

"It's from Sirius!" Hermione and Ron encouraged him to read the letter aloud, for they had both been as worried for his safety as Harry had been.

"Dear Harry," it was odd, Hermione decided, hearing Harry read a letter to himself aloud. "I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post." Harry paused to laugh, "Buckbeak and I are in hiding, I won't tell you where, in case this falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about the owl's capabilities, but he was the best I could find and seemed rather eager."

"I believe the Dementors are still looking for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some muggles to spot me soon, far from Hogwarts so that the security is removed." He looked up at Hermione for a moment, "You'll like this; There's something I never got around to mentioning in our brief meeting, it was me who sent you the Firebolt." Hermione allowed herself a brief moment of gloating, "I told you it was from him."

"Yeah, but he didn't jinx it did he?" Ron retorted, as Harry continued. "He goes on to say it's to be considered thirteen years of birthday presents. And, Ron, the owl is yours if you want it. He feels bad about Scabbers."

As Ron looked the owl over skeptically, Harry unfolded a second piece of parchment and let out a laugh. It was a permission form for Hogsmeade.

Ron suddenly held out the tiny owl towards Crookshanks, "What d'you reckon?" He asked the ginger cat, "Definitely an owl?" Hermione giggled as Crookshanks purred and Ron began coddling the small bird.

About a half hour before they were to reach Kings Cross, the door to their compartment slid open to reveal Draco, with Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy _and_ Blaise behind him. Harry and Ron were still unused to the idea that the Slytherin was actually friendly with Hermione, and tensed defensively and prepared for a fight.

"Hello." Hermione said warily, trying to decide whether or not it was actually a social visit. Pansy shoved her way into the compartment and took the open seat beside the bushy haired brunette, "Hey, I was wondering if you're going to be free this summer?" The blonde girl asked, as though it was the most normal thing in the world to bounce into a group of Gryffindor's and be friendly.

"Er, actually, I've been grounded for the summer." Hermione replied with a faint blush. She wondered why Draco hadn't simply mentioned this and saved her the embarrassment, he knew after all.

"That's just the funniest thing;" Pansy exclaimed suddenly, giving Hermione a knowing look, "Professor Snape grounded his daughter too. I feel bad for _both_ of you." She lowered her voice meaningfully, and Hermione was suddenly suspicious of Draco's silence. She knew that the two cousins were close, and she felt a slight bubble of dread. "No," she groaned, "tell me he_ didn't_ –" "everything." Pansy said, laughing as Hermione got to her feet and stormed up to Draco, grabbing the front of his shirt with her fist.

"What part of _secret_ don't you get?" She hissed, glaring at him as he began to look nervous. "Now, Hermione, it was an accident. I was talking with uncle in the corridor and they sort of over-heard." All the colour drained from his face as her glare went flat. "All of them? _ALL_ of them? Are you honestly telling me, the whole of Slytherin _knows_?"

The train was slowing down now, but Hermione refused to let go. "No, not all of them. Theo, Millicent and Daphne don't know." Pansy came up behind her and grinned, "Professor Snape said, and I quote, 'oh bloody hell'."

Hermione dropped her grip from Draco's shirt and sighed, "Well, guess who's not grounded any more then." Like _hell_ she was going to let her father keep her grounded now; he and Draco had single handedly exposed the secret to more people than she had.

By the time the train had come to a full stop, the Slytherin's had all left, and Ron was back on the topic of the world cup.

As they parted ways on the platform, Hermione contemplated the upcoming summer with a smirk. Maybe, just maybe, it would turn out better than the last one.

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><p>End chapter nineteen!<p>

Originally, this chapter didn't have the first part, where Hermione explains things to Harry and Ron, but as I was proof reading it, I felt there was too big a gap.

Plus, I wanted to allude to such a conversation in Year Four, and thus had to write it before posting the end to Year Three.

Ok! So I'm going to be brutally honest, as it's probably my best personal quality, I won't post Year Four until (at the earliest) the 30th of January. (by my calendar, which is in eleven days)

But the good news is that I will be picking up my brand new reading glasses today sometime, so I won't have any more problems while writing and attempting to proof read my stories. Sadly I couldn't get half-moon spectacles like Dumbledore, but I'm sure it won't effect my muse either way.


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